Sir Alex Ferguson made a number of incredibly successful signings for Manchester United. Bebe was not one of them.
In fact Bebe is widely regarded as one of Sir Alex’s worst additions. The young Portuguese forward was an unknown quantity who signed for the club in 2010 from Vitoria de Guimaraes.
A lot of the criticism of Bebe was reflective of United’s lack of ambition in the market in 2010 as the Glazer squeeze began to toll, while City spent big in attempts to catch up.
The move to Old Trafford was simply too much too soon for Bebe, who has gone on to have a solid career since leaving United on a permanent deal for Benfica in 2014.
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Bebe scores last minute winner
Bebe has been a regular in recent seasons for Rayo Vallecano, for who he has played 112 times over the past six seasons, three of which have been in Spain’s La Liga.
But after falling out of favour this season and netting only once in six appearances, the 32-year-old clinched a transfer deadline day loan to second division Real Zaragoza.
Bebe made a big entrance at Zaragoza at the weekend, coming off the bench on his debut to score a dramatic winner.
The 32-year-old latched onto a through ball to hit a left footed striker low past the goalkeeper in the 93rd minute to give his new side a 1-0 win over FC Andorra.
Bebe wrote on Instagram: “What a start Zaragocistas! I feel very happy for this step and even more with this unforgettable start… debut, goal and 3 points! I promise a lot of work and joy, because I feel privileged to do what I love.”
He received applause responses from former United colleagues Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao.
Bebe’s career story is a quite remarkable one. The United switch was a bad fit, but he has fought against the odds to not be defined by that, and has since overcome two ACL injuries.
He is still netting goals and making a name for himself 13 years after clinching his surprise move to Old Trafford.
After his poor United spell, very few would have backed him to go on and have the solid career he has. This spell at Zaragoza could give him a further lease of life.