Manchester United haven’t always got it right in the transfer market, but the signing of Bebe has to go down as one of the strangest moves of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
We can all point to transfers where Manchester United haven’t quite nailed it.
Look through United’s most expensive signings of all time, and you will see big money spent on the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount, Angel Di Maria and Donny van de Beek.
We could at least see the thought process behind those moves, with all of the additions enjoying great success before joining United.
Their Old Trafford careers didn’t quite go to plan, but few signings parked immediate question marks like the arrival of Bebe.
United signed Bebe from Vitoria de Guimaraes in 2010, with the forward arriving as a complete unknown after limited success in Portugal.
Bebe on Sir Alex Ferguson
United spent around £7.4million on Bebe in a curious move, having only joined Vitoria de Guimaraes on a free transfer five weeks earlier.
Bebe never really made the grade at United and played just two Premier League games for the club.
Loans to Besiktas, Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira brought mixed results, and United allowed Bebe to join Benfica permanently in 2014.
Bebe believes he could have excelled at United and has now opened up on his first days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Speaking to Sport Bible, Bebe admitted that one of Ferguson’s first suggestions to him was to ‘get a haircut’.
Bebe took that suggestion seriously and had a haircut in time for his second day of United training, paying full respect to what Ferguson wanted.
Bebe felt that Ferguson had ‘a lot of affection’ towards him and would love to catch up with the Scot now, some 12 years since his retirement.
“I remember meeting Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time,” said Bebe.
“He came into the dressing room and the first words he said to me were, ‘I am going to take care of you’ and ‘go and get a haircut.’ I had long hair at the time, so I shaved it off for the second day of training.
“I learned a lot from him. I always had to have a translator, so he could explain things to me, but we shared a close relationship. I felt he had a lot of affection towards me. He looked out for me, and that meant a lot.
“I was in a completely new country and he went above and beyond. I lived in his apartment in Wilmslow for the first year, so I was a little closer to training. He joked with me, and I joked with him. The truth is, he is a person I care a lot about. I would love to see him again and have a chat, like old times,” he added.
Bebe now playing for Ibiza, the 13th club of his career
Bebe is now 34 and still playing.
Racing Ferrol signed Bebe back in September, but he didn’t spend long there.
Ibiza pounced to sign Bebe on transfer deadline day earlier this year, reuniting him with his former Rayo Vallecano boss Paco Jemez.
Bebe is now with his 13th club, having previously been with Estrela da Amadora, Vitoria de Guimaraes, United, Besiktas, Rio Ave, Pacos de Ferreira, Benfica, Cordoba, Rayo Vallecano, Eibar, Real Zaragoza and Racing Ferrol.
Now a Cape Verde international too, Bebe helped beat Ghana in a stunning result back in January 2024.
The move to United may not have worked out, but Bebe has carved out a long and fruitful career, having first joined United as a complete unknown.
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