Posted by Betfair's View

Betfair Guest Blogger-

Setting aside the massive amount of controversy surrounding his goal for Manchester United at the weekend against an unfortunate Tottenham side, Nani's strike was undoubtedly a crucial one in making the scoreline look slightly more comfortable for the Red Devils.

However, does poking the ball into the back of an empty net from close range mean you should dub yourself one of the best players in the world? Those were the words uttered by Nani after the game at the weekend, with the player now confident that he's cut out the inconsistency and inaccuracies in the final third that had haunted his game to become the complete player. They were certainly problems that had been highlighted by the Betfair Specialists in the past.

Now, there's no doubting that confidence in a player, particularly an attacking player, is always a good thing, just look at what can happen to talented players such as Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney when levels of self-belief aren't as high as they should be. However, Nani still hasn't convinced the majority of United fans he's capable of becoming the next big thing at the club, so might his overconfidence end up holding him back?

Players with a point to prove are often the most deadly in the Premier League. Just think back to the rapid improvements made by Joe Cole at Chelsea when Jose Mourinho launched a stinging public attack on the player despite some promising performances for the Blues. Cole used those comments to improve those areas of his game that weren't yet at the highest level and ended up becoming a crucial player for club and country.

David Beckham and Frank Lampard are two more examples of players unwilling to believe their own hype. Subsequently, the extra hours spent at their respective club's training grounds ended up turning this pair into two of the best midfielders the game has ever seen. The football betting suggests Nani won't be netting any personal accolades soon though, but can he push on to great heights in future?

With Nani clearly believing that his game needs no further improvements or adaptations, could his high confidence levels actually turn out to be the worst possible thing for the player - and United - in the long term?