The early 2000s were a golden period for Sporting Lisbon’s distinguished academy. When the world’s most expensive footballer, Luis Figo, won the Ballon d’Or while playing for Real Madrid, Alvalade was ready to bring in several equally talented wingers from the conveyor belt.
Simão Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma, Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo came to prominence in the following years. Behind them is a talent considered by many to be the best of them all: Fábio Paim. However, the Estoril native today regrets his career as he failed to live up to his image as a future superstar.
“If you think I’m good, just wait for Fabio Paim,” was Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous declaration shortly after joining Manchester United from Lisbon in 2003. Ronaldo is three years older than Paim, but the two became friends when they played together as teenagers at Sporting Lisbon, where Paim has played since he was eight.
“I’m really special. “I have to stay humble, but it’s true,” Paim told The Sun earlier this week in a candid, sometimes brutal interview at his home in the Algarve. Emotional interview.
“Unfortunately, there was no Instagram or Facebook, no records like now, but I firmly believe that to this day, no one else has the same qualities as me.
“Cristiano got to the level he deserved with his hard work and hard work. But when I played, if I had the same hard work and dedication, I would have been better than him.
“If I talk about technology, I am better. I am a little Ronaldinho. But as we have seen, technology does not lead us anywhere. But yes, at that time I was better than Cristiano Even better. I believe he should give me a Ballon d’Or!”
too much, too fast
Paim’s talent has been fully recognized within the Sporting CP team. At the age of only 13, he received an astonishing salary of nearly 5,000 euros per week and an annual bonus of approximately 150,000 euros. Recalling his lavish lifestyle in his early years, Pam admits that the money took a huge toll on his mentality before he started proving himself at the top.
“Unfortunately for me, I was born with talent, but as I made a lot of money, I developed the illusion that I didn’t need to put in the effort. It’s impossible for someone like me to become a millionaire .
“I regret some of my choices. Now I’m at a different age, so I see different pictures. The talent was there, but my head wasn’t. My focus was on women and parties, except Other than football.
“I played a few games but I wasn’t in the best shape physically and wasn’t responding to what people were asking of me because if I could, I would have gone to Barcelona or Real Madrid.”
In the end, Paim failed to play a league game for Sporting CP and was loaned to Portugal’s Olivas Moscavert, Trofins, Pacos Ferreira, Rio Ave, Real Massama, and Premier League club Chelsea in 2008. He has also not made a single league appearance since arriving in England, with the 20-year-old earning more than €10,000 a week and six-figure bonuses.
“It was too fast,” he admits. “I always took care of my family because my family’s income was the highest when I was 12 years old. My mother was a domestic helper in other people’s homes.
“I can spend money on my stuff and even if I do something wrong, I never draw attention. No one says anything because I’m so good. Sporting CP want me to play, so as long as I continue to perform at that level , they just let me do whatever I wanted.
“To be honest, I regret some of the choices I made. I believe I should have been better educated because I made a lot of money but didn’t know what to do with it.
“I want it all at the same time. I shouldn’t rush it. I should be more humble and pay attention to what people are telling me.
“I like a lot of things, things I couldn’t have as a kid. I bought all kinds of cars. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, Audis because it was my dream as a kid and no one told me it was wrong. Worst investment ever That’s the car. But my mind couldn’t think of it that way, and no one taught me better.
“I started drinking when I was 18 or 19 and started going to parties. It became a routine, more parties, more and more things. I started to understand a different way of life. As a footballer Athlete, I had the same thing. “I scored, played well in the game, but after that, I just started partying and making bad decisions. “
Watch Portugal training from behind bars
Paim said he had mentally retired at the age of 22, but as his career waned he moved to Angola, Qatar, Malta, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Brazil in the years that followed. However, the worst was yet to come: in 2019, he was arrested by Portuguese authorities for possessing an unknown amount of illegal drugs.
At the age of 30, Paim spent a year in prison in Cascais, eventually being arrested on inadmissible evidence related to wiretapping. In a cruel twist of fate, the cell where Paim is being held overlooks Portugal’s training ground as they prepare for their Euro 2020 qualifiers.
“The prison I’m in is right next to the Selecao pitch, so I can watch them train every day for the Euro 2020 qualifiers. Do I think I should be there? No, if I’m in that position, it’s there. It’s my fault,” Pam said through tears during the interview.
“Prison was really hard on me and my family. But it was good for me.
“I learned that what is easy to get is not good for you. I can’t live that lifestyle anymore, so I need to work and have dignity. My life is peaceful now. I’m sure I will make more mistakes , because I am human.
“Prison is not the place for a boy like me. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. This is my choice; this is my mistake. But I need the comfort and support that only a family can give.
“Family is the most important thing. I have to be honest with my kids. I just ask them to be there for me and come visit me. My mother has been my biggest support and still is.
“What hurts me so much is how much my mistakes hurt them because they didn’t deserve it. I did so much to them. I apologize for being emotional – I couldn’t help it. .”
“I’m happier with less”
Paim, now retired, whose home overlooks Vilamoura Marina, is often recognized and stopped by locals. His football career may have been forgotten but the 35-year-old insists he is happier now and intends to use his experience to help others as he takes the time to speak to children about the potential dangers of distraction. One of them is his own son Jaden, who attends Sporting Lisbon’s youth academy.
“When I have fame, money, parties, I think that’s happiness,” he said.
“But I don’t know what happiness means. I have money, but I don’t know what eating good food and traveling mean. Nowadays, I know what happiness is, and the less I am, the happier I am.
“I feel like I have an obligation to give back to the kids and teach them something that I didn’t have anyone teach me because I can’t give my innate gifts or talents to anyone. I can’t teach this.
“But if I can pass on what I’ve learned from my experiences and the changes I’ve seen football take because of me and my story, that’s enough for me.
“Although I don’t have money now, I set myself as an example so that they can avoid making the same mistake I did when I was overwhelmed by money and fame. Parents don’t want their children to be like me.
“Not everyone will be like Cristiano, but if they choose the right path they have a better chance of becoming a football player.
“To this day, there is no one as young as me. At that time, I was better than Cristiano.
“Can I win the Ballon d’Or? Yes, I think so, Cristiano did it and so can I. I work differently to (Ronaldo and Lionel Messi) because I started earlier Make a lot of money and be famous. That put me on a different path.
“That’s why I don’t belong to them and I don’t deserve to belong to them.
“My son has a dream like all other kids, to become a great player, but the most important thing for me is that there is no pressure and he is happy.
“If he could be half the player I am, the family would be delighted!”
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