Forgotten ex-Man Utd star who Ferguson broke transfer rule for makes AFCON debut

16 January 2024 , 06:00

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Bebe was signed by Man Utd before Sir Alex Ferguson had seen him play

Former Manchester United flop Bebe has made his first outing at the Africa Cup of Nations, representing Cape Verde during their 2-1 win over Ghana.

The forward lasted 75 minutes of the contest before he was eventually replaced by Willy Semedo. Cape Verde's victory served as quite the shock, but a stoppage time winner from Garry Rodrigues means the team ranked 73rd in the world according to FIFA are now in the driving seat in their AFCON group.

Bebe, 33, failed to make the grade at Old Trafford following his arrival all those years ago in 2010, but has enjoyed a respectable career elsewhere since. Bebe's time at United may stir some regret in ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who broke his own transfer rule to bring the forward to the club 14 years ago.

The legendary Scotsman always made sure to watch potential arrivals before making a move, but chose not to when he paid £7.4m to sign the forward, instead trusting the word of his then-assistant Carlos Queiroz. United persuaded Vitoria de Guimaraes to part ways with Bebe before he'd even kicked a ball for them, such was the Premier League side's desperation to get the deal done.

Benfica and Real Madrid were both rumoured to be interested in the unknown talent, but United swooped first. Ferguson has since discussed the transfer, explaining: “I know Real Madrid were hovering and so were Benfica. It was one of those decisions that had to be made quickly.

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"Sometimes you have to go on instinct and sometimes you have to trust your staff as well. This was a first for me, but we rate our scouting department very highly and our scout in Portugal was adamant we needed to do something."

Bebe has himself admitted he could barely believe it when word got back to him regarding United's interest. “It was a shock for me, too. For the week leading up to it, I thought the whole thing was a joke," he conceded. "I thought they were leading me on. Then I realised it was serious. I was surprised. I was playing in the third division in Portugal and all of a sudden one of the world’s biggest clubs wanted me? That’s not very normal."

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Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, better known as Bebe, lining up for Cape Verde during their AFCON clash against Ghana

Some feel that Bebe simply never possessed the technical quality to thrive at United, but the man himself has previously explained how it was his own mindset that held him back. "I never took Manchester United seriously.

"I thought, ‘I’m here, I’m doing well and I don’t have to try hard every day. It was my fault. I was messing around too much, It’s hard to play at Old Trafford. There’s a lot of pressure to perform at the same level as some of the best players in the world.

"I couldn’t get to Scholes’ level overnight, nobody could. I basically went from playing on the street to the biggest team in England, it was impossible that I was going to click in the first year, I needed far longer to adapt."

Nowadays, the ex-Red Devil lines up for LaLiga outfit Rayo Vallecano. He has been at the club since 2018 following a two-year spell at Eibar.

Josh O'Brien