Remembering when Nani scored the strangest Premier League goal ever for Man Utd

Luis Nani seemed to only score spectacular goals for Manchester United, but there was one extraordinary exception.

Nani joined United from Sporting Lisbon in 2007 for a reported £17 million and was of course immediately heralded as the next Cristiano Ronaldo.

The winger could never live up to those lofty heights, but he still produced mesmerizing skills and thumping long-range screamers during his seven years at the club. He was often called frustrating, but he was also a lot of fun. We liked him.

He quickly became known as a goalscorer rather than a great goalscorer, and we don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. The infamous somersault celebrations were also special.

Tottenham were unfortunate to experience this first-hand during Nani's fifth appearance for the Red Devils in August 2007.

With the score at 0–0, he collected the ball 30 yards from goal before unleashing a swerving shot that flew past a helpless Paul Robinson. Thump.

Nani scored another memorable goal against the same opponents three years later, but it stands out for entirely different reasons.

United were already 1-0 up when Nani burst into Tottenham's penalty area and went down under pressure from Younes Kaboul.

His request for a penalty was immediately waved away by the referee, but that was the least of the controversy.

Nani was seen handling the ball as he lay on the turf and Heurelho Gomes ignored the golden rule about playing until the whistle and threw the ball on the ground waiting for a free kick.

The only problem was that the referee didn't see it. That gave Nani the opportunity for some wonderfully unsportsmanlike behavior that was more beneficial to a bastard centre-forward.

After sneaking behind the unassuming goalkeeper with an impromptu game of peek-a-boo, Nani at least gave Gomes a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Was this Nani just waiting to make sure the ball was still alive or was he struggling with his conscience?

If the latter was the case, he quickly ignored it and embraced his inner sh*thouse to smash the ball past Gomes and into the net. What would the boss want him to do? Obviously kick it into the damn net.

The goal sparked violent scenes of protest from the irate Spurs players, as Nani rode off in celebration like a naughty child who had gotten away with his bad behavior.

“What a farcical way to end a game,” said Spurs manager Harry Redknapp at full-time. “It's a handball, he handled it consciously and it should have been a booking. Everyone has seen him do it, so we think it's a free kick, only the referee doesn't see it.

“Everyone saw him do it, so it's a free kick. You can't lie on the ground and pull the ball back just because you got the bump because you didn't get a penalty. It was a disgraceful decision and the referee made a mess of it.”

Despite Redknapp's protests, the goal was somehow allowed to stand. Whether it was morally right is an entirely different question.

By Nathan Egerton