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"Cristiano Ronaldo said I was better than him. I should have won the Ballon d'Or, but drugs and women took me to prison"

2023-10-19 18:01:07Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Cristiano Ronaldo said I was better than him. I should have won the Ballon
"CR7 said I was better than him, I ended up watching him train from my prison window"

Today everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo as the best Portuguese in the history of football, to be ranked as one of the best in the world. But 20 years ago everyone would have bet on another Portuguese before CR7.

"Do you think I'm the best Portuguese? Wait until you see Fábio Paím," said Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003. But not everything went as planned, with the talent also ending up in prison and ruining his career in incredible fashion.

Fábio Miguel Malheiro Paím was born in Estoril (Portugal) on February 15, 1988 and soon became the great promise of Portuguese football. He joined Sporting Portugal's youth team at the age of 9 and made his debut at the age of 16 with CD Olivais e Moscavide.

He also tried to play with Paços de Ferreira and Trofense. At the age of 13, Fábio Paím had already earned 376,000 euros and by the age of 16 he was earning more than 20,000 euros a month, according to "Sphera Sports".

In 2008 he signed for Chelsea in the Premier League, earning €57,000 a month, but played only in the London reserve team and returned to Portugal four months later to sign with Rio Ave.

Then, Real Massamá, Torreense, 1º Agosto, Benfica Luanda, Al Kharaitiyat, Oliveirense, Mosta, Nevezis, Union 05 (where he was expelled after a rape charge), Sintra Football, Paraíba do Sul, Leixões and LZS Staroëice were the clubs of other football fields, where he did not find the right place to develop his talent as a professional.

In August 2019, Fábio Paím's life took a dramatic turn when he was arrested by the police in Estoril for possession of illegal drugs (5 grams of cocaine). The footballer was held for a year in a cell near the Cidade do Futebol, the Portuguese Football Federation complex, from where he could watch Cristiano Ronaldo train, on suspicion of drug trafficking, before being acquitted.

"The prison I was in is next to the field where the Portuguese national team trains, so I was able to see the players training every day for the Euro 2020 qualifiers. I was there for a reason, but I said to myself: Ah, Cristiano is there. I must be there too…Prison was really hard on me and my family. Prison was no place for a child like me", he recalled in an interview for "The Sun".

In 2020 he had his last football experience, trying his luck at LZS Staroëice in the third division of Poland. "The Sun" newspaper states that Fábio Paím's career "fell into obscurity because of his fame, money and promiscuous lifestyle. He then met his end, when he spent a year in the infamous Caxias prison."

Fábio Paím admits to the British tabloid that he rejected his football career because of money, fame, women, alcohol and parties: “I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. It was my choice, it was my mistake. I was really a special footballer. I should have been humble, but that's the truth.

Unfortunately then there was no Instagram or Facebook, nothing was registered like today. When I was playing, if I had the same dedication as Cristiano Ronaldo, I would be better than him. If I talk about technique, I was better. I was a little Ronaldinho. But as we see, it is not the technique that takes us anywhere, - said the former Portuguese footballer.

I am convinced that I could have won the 'Golden Ball'. Unfortunately for me, I was born with talent. Since I made a lot of money, I had the illusion that I didn't need to work. It is impossible for a person like me to be a millionaire. I regret some of the decisions. Now I'm at a different age and can see it in a different light. I didn't lack talent, but I did," concluded Fabio Paim.

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