Post by Macmoish on Oct 18, 2010 7:18:50 GMT
PFA's Give Me Football
United teenage ace started out in Homeless World Cup
But Portuguese could be playing in the real thing next time roundBy Dave Smith October 15, 2010
It sounds like the stuff of dreams - to move from sleeping in a shelter to playing football for one of the biggest teams in the world in less than three years.
But for recent Manchester United signing Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, that’s Bébé to you and I, it is very much a reality.
Bébé's football career began at the Homeless World Cup, the charity that unites teams of people who are homeless to stand proud and represent their country in a world-class international football tournament.
Since its inaugral event in 2003 in Graz, Austria, which featured 18 teams, it has triggered grass roots football programs in more than 70 nations and has engaged more than 100,000 homeless players in the benefits of football.
Over 70 per cent of Homeless World Cup players experience a significant life change: coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into homes, jobs, education and training, repairing relationships or becoming coaches and players. Their mission is one that the FSF is very proud to support, which is why the Homeless World Cup is our nominated charity.
Bébé was living in Casa Do Gaiato, a well-organised shelter for young people on the outskirts of Lisbon when he was invited with three other boys from the shelter to play football with CAIS, the Portuguese organisation responsible for the Homeless World Cup team.
In 2009 he signed for Estrela da Amadora Football Club, a small club on the outskirts of Lisbon, playing in the Portuguese 3rd Division. After an impressive debut season, in June 2010 he signed for Portuguese top flight club Guimarães.
Manchester United were alerted by his potential, and paid a staggering £7m release clause in his contract to bring him to Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted AFTER signing Bebe that he didn’t know much about Bebe and had not even seen him play.
But, on advice from his expert scouts in Portugal, the United boss decided the 20-year-old was worth a gamble.
And after building up his fitness over the past month, Bebe will now hope that his cameo at Glanford Park marks the start of regular involvement with the first team.
"It was one of those instinctive things, you have a smell about something and you take it," Ferguson .
"We have a scout in Portugal, where we asked him about this young player playing in the second division in Portugal.
"He'd only played three or four games and our scouts insisted that we should sign him. It was a bit of a leap into the dark really, because we hadn't seen him play.
"We sent one our scouts down... to see him play in the last game before we signed him and then he comes up and says there's something exceptional here, we're maybe seeing something really special, and so we took the gamble.”
www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/united-teenage-ace-started-out-in-homeless-world-c