The tragedy of the 'child prodigy' praised as being better than Ronaldo: Unemployed, in prison at the age of 31

Cristiano Ronaldo is famous for having one of the biggest egos in the world of football. In an interview, Ronaldo once said that his idol is "himself".

However, there is a player that makes Ronaldo admire and admit that he is better than him. That is Fabio Paim. When he first joined Man Utd, Ronaldo said: "If you think I am good, watch Fabio Paim play football."

Fabio Paim was once an outstanding football talent of Portugal, and was considered by experts to have greater potential to develop than Ronaldo. However, when CR7 rose to become a new monument of the football world, Paim fell before the temptation of gambling, drugs and opium.

Fabio Paim played 42 games for Portugal youth teams, but never made it to the senior team.

Who is Fabio Paim?

Fabio Paim was born on February 15, 1988, 3 years younger than Ronaldo. Paim and Ronaldo are both products of the Sporting Lisbon youth academy. He played as a winger and was promoted to the U15 team at the age of 13.

Realizing Paim's potential early on, Sporting Lisbon subsidized him with about 150 thousand USD/year to keep the academy's number one prodigy.

However, it was Lisbon's sacks of money that made Fabio Paim indulge in useless pleasures and decline in performance.

"I think being born with natural talent is what did me harm. I earned too much money, and I created the idea that I didn't need to work hard anymore. With my personality at that time, I would never have become a millionaire," Fabio Paim told The Sun in 2023.

Fabio Paim soon indulged in partying and women.

After many years playing for Sporting's youth team and being loaned out domestically, Fabio Paim went abroad at the age of 20, joining Chelsea. However, his laziness and disorganization made Chelsea's management fed up, sending him back to his parent club after only 4 months. At this time, Ronaldo had gradually become a big star at Man Utd.

Former prodigy falls from grace

Fabio Paim returned home and began throwing lavish parties, indulging in alcohol, drugs and women. In 2010, at the age of 22, Fabio Paim was permanently released by Sporting, who sent him to the second division club SC Uniao Torreense.

As a result, the new team could not stand Fabio Paim. He was constantly transferred to "work", from Portugal to China, Angola, Malta, Brazil and finally Poland. He retired while playing for LZS Starowice in 2020.

After 13 years of wandering around the world, data shows that Fabio Paim has played a total of 36 times, playing about 46 minutes per match. Not counting the youth level of the Portuguese national team, Fabio Paim scored 2 goals and had 1 assist. He played a total of 125 minutes in Liga Portugal - the highest level of Dutch football.

By the time Fabio Paim retired, Cristiano Ronaldo had won countless titles, from EURO to Champions League, Premier League, Serie A and La Liga.

In 2019, Fabio Paim even served a year in prison for drug possession. From where Fabio Paim was detained, he could observe the headquarters of the Portuguese Football Federation - where Cristiano Ronaldo trained with the national team.

Fabio Paim watches Portugal train from the other side of the bars.

In a conversation with The Sun, Fabio Paim admitted: "I have special qualities. I need to be humble but that's the truth. Unfortunately, back then there was no Instagram or Facebook to record videos of me. But I affirm that no player possesses the qualities that I have.

At that time, I was better than Ronaldo. Technically, I was better. I was likened to a little Ronaldinho. But you see, technical skills are not what bring us titles."

Fabio Paim is now married with two children. He said life has become calmer, and he puts family above all else: "I think I will make more mistakes, because I am human. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. It was my choice, my mistake. What I need is comfort and encouragement from my family. Family is the most sacred thing."

Thanh Loc

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bi-kich-than-dong-duoc-khen-hay-hon-ronaldo-that-nghiep-di-tu-tuoi-31-ar902521.html