Bebé

"Bébé" redirects here. For the 2008 French film, see Bébé (film). For other uses, see Bebe.
This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Dias and the second or paternal family name is Correia.
Bebé

Bebé playing for Manchester United in 2011
Personal information
Full nameTiago Manuel Dias Correia[1][2]
Date of birth12 July 1990
Place of birthAgualva-Cacém, Portugal
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1][3]
Playing positionForward
Club information
Current team
Córdoba
(on loan from Benfica)
Number24
Youth career
2001–2008Loures
2008–2009Estrela
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2009–2010Estrela26(4)
2010Vitória de Guimarães0(0)
2010–2014Manchester United2(0)
2011–2012→ Beşiktaş (loan)4(0)
2013→ Rio Ave (loan)17(1)
2013–2014→ Paços de Ferreira (loan)27(12)
2014–Benfica1(0)
2015–→ Córdoba (loan)11(0)
National team‡
2010–2011Portugal U216(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 March 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 September 2010

Tiago Manuel Dias Correia (born 12 July 1990), better known by his nickname Bebé, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Córdoba, on loan from Benfica. Abandoned by his parents at a young age, Bebé grew up in a homeless shelter near Lisbon. He began his football career as an amateur with Loures before joining Estrela in 2009. A year later, he was signed by Vitória de Guimarães but transferred almost immediately to Manchester United for a fee of about £7 million, despite manager Alex Ferguson admitting he had never seen Bebé play.

Unable to make an impression on the Manchester United first team, he spent time on loan with Turkish side Beşiktaş and back in Portugal with Rio Ave and Paços de Ferreira, before joining Benfica permanently in July 2014.

Early life

Bebé is the son of Cape Verdean immigrants and is the fourth player of Cape Verdean descent to join Manchester United; the others are Portuguese international winger Nani, French international left-back Patrice Evra and former Swedish international Henrik Larsson.[4] He was given his nickname, which means 'baby' in Portuguese, by his older brother.[5]

Bebé was abandoned as a young child by his father Francisco and his mother Deolinda. He was consequently raised by his grandmother in a suburb of Lisbon, until the age of 12, when a court placed him in the care of the church.[6] He moved to the Casa do Gaiato shelter in Santo Antão do Tojal, 20 km outside Lisbon.[6] During his time there, he and seven other residents of the shelter were invited to play for the CAIS team in the 2009 European Street Football Festival in the Bosnian town of Foča.[7][8] Despite Bebé scoring four goals in six matches, CAIS did not progress beyond the second group stage of the tournament.

It was alleged that Bebé had participated in the Homeless World Cup, but these reports were found to be false.[9] He was considered for selection for the national homeless squad after his performance in the European Street Football Festival, but he ultimately did not play in the tournament.[4][10]

Club career

Early career

Having previously played for amateur side Loures, Bebé was signed by Portuguese Second Division side Estrela da Amadora in the summer of 2009.[11] Regarded as the clubs star player,[11] he finished the season with four goals in 26 matches.[12] However, Amadora were beset by financial problems and offered him around Europe for £125,000 but found no takers.[11] His former agent, Gonçalo Reis, revealed that Bebé was offered to PSV Eindhoven for free in May 2010, but PSV turned down the offer as they did not know anything about the player.[13] As their situation worsened they stopped paying his wages, so he broke his contract and signed for Portuguese Primeira Liga team Vitória de Guimarães in the summer of 2010 on a free transfer.[14] His contract with Guimarães at first included a €3 million release clause, but this was increased to €9 million following his performances in pre-season games.[14] He finished with five goals in six friendly matches.[11]

Manchester United

On 11 August 2010, only five weeks after he signed for Vitória de Guimarães, Manchester United agreed an undisclosed fee with the Portuguese club for the transfer of Bebé.[15] The fee was reported to be around £7.4 million, believed to be the value of the buy-out clause in the forward's contract,[16] though reports in Portugal later claimed the fee was €9 million, of which the agent company GestiFute received €3.5 million (included agent fee) and the club only received €5.5 million (about 60%),[17][18] as third-party ownership is allowed in Portugal. It was also reported that Real Madrid and Benfica were interested in him.[19] Ferguson only met him the day before the transfer,[16] after being recommended to buy him by his former assistant Carlos Queiroz.[20] On 12 August, David Gill announced that Bebé would not be sent out on loan; instead, he would work with the first-team squad to prove his worth and to learn English.[21] The transfer was completed on 16 August, following Bebé's medical and the submission of the appropriate paperwork,[22] and he was unveiled to the media at a press conference the following day, along with fellow new signings Javier Hernández and Chris Smalling.[23] In 2012, it was reported that Portuguese police were investigating the transfer as part of anti-corruption procedures. Police questioned Bebé's former agent Reis and his current agent Mendes.[18][24]

On 6 September, he was announced as part of the 25-man squad for Manchester United to play in the Champions League.[25] On 22 September, Bebé made his debut for Manchester United as he replaced Park Ji-Sung in the 74th minute of a 5–2 away victory over Scunthorpe United in the League Cup third round.[26] On 2 October, he made his Premier League debut, replacing Anderson in the 80th minute in their 0–0 draw against Sunderland.[27] His first start came against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fourth round of the League Cup on 26 October, scoring his first goal in the process, United's first in a 3–2 home win.[28] His first Champions League goal came on his debut in the competition, scoring the final goal of a 3–0 away victory over Bursaspor on 2 November.[29] On 19 February 2011, Bebé played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against non-league Crawley Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup.[30]

Beşiktaş (loan)

On 16 June 2011, Turkish side Beşiktaş signed Bebé on a season-long loan deal,[31] with the option of making the move permanent for £2 million.[32] However, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury whilst on international duty with the Portugal Under-21 side which would rule him out for six months.[11] Bebé made his return from injury and made his debut for Beşiktaş in their Süper Lig match against İstanbul Belediyespor on 26 March 2012, he came off the bench and replaced Mustafa Pektemek in the 76th minute of the 2–2 draw.[33] In April 2012, Bebé was banished from the Beşiktaş squad after breaking a team curfew and staying out until the early hours of the morning.[34]

Rio Ave (loan)

After leaving Beşiktaş, Bebé was selected for Manchester United's pre-season tour. In his first game, he scored an injury-time volley to save a draw for Manchester United. However, he was unable to break into the team for the season ahead, and on 27 December 2012, Portuguese side Rio Ave confirmed that they signed Bebé on loan.[35] The loan was confirmed by Manchester United on 1 January 2013.[36]

On 9 January, Bebé made his full début in the Taça da Liga and scored the only goal of a 1–0 win against Marítimo in the 74th minute to qualify for the knockout stage.[37] His first league appearance for Rio Ave came against Olhanense, where he came off the substitute bench for the remaining 30 minutes of the match. His first start for the Portuguese side was against Gil Vicente, where he played 85 minutes before being substituted for Ahmed Hassan. He then played the full 90 minutes of a game against his erstwhile former side, Vitória de Guimarães, which Vitória won 3–1. Bebé got his first assist for Rio Ave against Marítimo, setting up Ahmed Hassan two minutes before half time. He then played 75 minutes in Rio Ave's 2–1 victory against Sporting CP before scoring his second goal at for the club against Académica on 55 minutes, which turned out to be the winning goal. Since then, he has failed to find the net despite starting six of the last seven Rio Ave matches. He has expressed a desire to make his stay in Portugal permanent, claiming that he did not receive support in England.[38]

Paços de Ferreira (loan)

On 2 September 2013, Bebé returned to Portugal for another loan, this time with Paços de Ferreira until the end of the season.[39] He made his debut on 14 September against Benfica, scoring his first goals in the 4–3 away victory over Marítimo 10 days later.[40] He was in impressive form in March, scoring six goals in six games. He scored two goals in the final game of the season, a 4–2 defeat against Academica de Coimbra,[41] which resulted in his team being entered into a relegation play-off. In this play-off, against CD Aves, Bebé scored the first goal of his team's 3–1 win on 21 May, to finish the season with 14 league goals.[42]

Benfica

Bebé playing for Benfica in the 2014 Emirates Cup

On 25 July 2014, it was confirmed that Bebé had signed for Portuguese champions Benfica on a four-year contract, for a fee rumoured to be worth up to €3 million plus 50% of any future sell-on fee.[43][44] On 10 August, he helped Benfica to win the 2014 Supercup in a penalty shoot-out.[45] On 21 December 2014, he debuted for Benfica in Primeira Liga in a home win against Gil Vicente (1–0).

Córdoba (loan)

On 9 January 2015, Bebé joined Córdoba CF on a loan deal until the end of the season.[46][47] He debuted for the Spanish team in La Liga three days later in a 1–0 win at Rayo Vallecano.[48]

International career

Bebé was a Portugal under-19 international.[49] In August 2010, Bebé was called up to the under-21 squad for the first time for their 2011 European under-21 qualifiers against England and Macedonia in early September.[50] He made his debut for the under-21s, playing as a lone striker in their 1–0 loss to England on 4 September.[31] He then scored his first goal for the under-21 side three days later in their final qualifying game against Macedonia, scoring the first in a 3–1 win.[51] On 9 August 2011, while playing for Portugal under-21 team in a friendly match against Slovakia, Bebé suffered a cruciate ligament injury to his left knee and he was expected to be out for six months.[52]

Club statistics

As of match played 14 February 2015[53]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other[nb 1] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Estrela da Amadora 2009–10 26400———264
Manchester United[54] 2010–11 201031110072
2011–12 000000000000
2012–13 000000000000
2013–14 000000000000
Total 201031110072
Beşiktaş (loan) 2011–12 4000—00—40
Rio Ave (loan) 2012–13 1710021——192
Paços de Ferreira (loan) 2013–14 2712213050213914
Benfica 2014–15 101000301060
Córdoba (loan) 2014–15 6000———60
Career total 83174182913110722

Honours

Benfica

Notes

  1. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield and the Portuguese Supercup

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tiago Manuel Dias Correia - Beşiktaş J.K. Official Web Site". Beşiktaş J.K. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). PremierLeague.com. Premier League. 2 February 2012. p. 24. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Player Profile | Tiago Bebe". premierleague.com. Premier League. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Herbert, Ian (13 August 2010). "From orphanage to Old Trafford: the making of United's £7m striker". The Independent (London: Independent Print). Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  5. ↑ Hughes, Rob (17 August 2010). "From the Streets To Old Trafford". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ladyman, Ian (2 September 2010). "Revealed: The incredible rise of a lost street kid who is now... Manchester United's new Bebe". The Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Geddes, Mike (12 August 2010). "streetfootballworld network member graduate signs for Manchester United". streetfootballworld.org. Street Football World. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Fletcher, Paul (14 August 2010). "The rags to riches story of Man Utd's Bebe". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  9. ↑ http://www.homelessworldcup.org/news/bebe-signed-by-manchester-united
  10. ↑ Coppack, Nick (12 August 2010). "Today at Old Trafford". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Smith, Rory (16 June 2011). "The curtain closes on the curious case of Bebe, Manchester United's lost boy". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  12. ↑ Kundert, Tom (12 August 2010). "Manchester United's new kid from the streets made it the hard way". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Sinnott, John (2 September 2010). "PSV turned down Bebe 'for free'". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 White, Duncan (28 August 2010). "Bebé will go from strength to strength for United, says Sir Alex Feguson". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  15. ↑ Coppack, Nick (11 August 2010). "Reds agree deal for winger". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Taylor, Daniel (11 August 2010). "Manchester United sign £7.4m Portuguese striker Bebe". The Guardian (London: Guardian News and Media). Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  17. ↑ "Bebé rendeu €5,5 milhões" [Bebé yielded €5.5 million]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Conn, David (10 May 2012). "Portuguese police to question Manchester United over Bebé transfer". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  19. ↑ Hibbs, Ben (19 August 2010). "Bebe was an impulse buy". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  20. ↑ Smith, Rory (11 August 2010). "Manchester United sign Portuguese striker Bebé for £7.4m". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  21. ↑ Bartram, Steve (12 August 2010). "Gill sheds light on Bebe deal". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  22. ↑ Coppack, Nick (16 August 2010). "Today at Old Trafford". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  23. ↑ Hibbs, Ben (17 August 2010). "Starlets excite Sir Alex". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  24. ↑ Ladyman, Ian (13 April 2012). "Portuguese police probe missing cash from Bebe's bizarre £7.5m Man United transfer". Daily Mail. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  25. ↑ "Bebe makes Champions League squad but Hargreaves is out". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 6 September 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  26. ↑ Ashenden, Mark (22 September 2010). "Scunthorpe 2–5 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  27. ↑ Dawkes, Phil (2 October 2010). "Sunderland 0–0 Man Utd". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  28. ↑ Stevenson, Jonathan (26 October 2010). "Man Utd 3–2 Wolves". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  29. ↑ "Bursaspor 0–3 Manchester United". UEFA.com (Union of European Football Associations). 2 November 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  30. ↑ "Man Utd 1 – 0 Crawley Town". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 19 February 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Bebe makes loan move from Man Utd to Besiktas". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 16 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  32. ↑ "Bebe to say bye bye to Man United with Besiktas loan move". Metro (Associated Newspapers Limited). 11 June 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  33. ↑ "İstanbul BB vs. Beşiktaş 2 - 2". SoccerWay (www.soccerway.com). 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  34. ↑ Ladyman, Ian (18 April 2012). "Besiktas banish on-loan United striker Bebe to the reserves and blame it on the boogie". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers). Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  35. ↑ "Bebé é o mais recente reforço rioavista". rioave-fc.pt (Rio Ave FC). 27 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "Boss hopes Bebe will blossom". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). 1 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  37. ↑ "United's £7.4m flop Bebe nets winner for loan club Rio Ave in Portuguese League Cup". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers). 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  38. ↑ "Transfer deadline day: Manchester Utd loan Marnick Vermijl to NEC". Sky Sports (SkySports.com). 2 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  39. ↑ "Bebe goes". ITV. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  40. ↑ Maritimo 3-4 P. Ferreira
  41. ↑ "FC Pacos de Ferreira 2-4 Académica Coimbra". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
  42. ↑ "Primeira Liga Play-Off: Pacos de Ferreira 3 Desportivo Aves 1 (3-1 agg)". Four Four Two. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  43. ↑ Futebol: Bebé assina contrato com o SL Benfica por quatro épocas
  44. ↑ Marshall, Adam (25 July 2014). "Bebe signs for Benfica". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  45. ↑ "Benfica seal Super Cup win on penalties". UEFA.com (Union of European Football Associations). 11 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  46. ↑ "Tiago emprestado ao Córdoba até ao final da época" [Tiago loaned to Córdoba until the end of the season]. slbenfica.pt (in Portuguese). Sport Lisboa e Benfica. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  47. ↑ "Bebé, nuevo jugador del Córdoba C.F." [Bebé, new player of Córdoba C.F.]. cordobacf.com (in Spanish). Córdoba Club de Fútbol. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "Rayo Vallecano vs. Córdoba - 12 January 2015 - Soccerway". Soccerway. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  49. ↑ Hatton, Barry (13 August 2010). "Bebe: From underprivileged home to Old Trafford". sports.yahoo (Yahoo). Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  50. ↑ "Bebe realises Portuguese dream". skysports.com (Sky Sports). 31 August 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  51. ↑ "Portugal U21 vs. Mecedonia FYR U21". Soccerway.com (Soccerway). 7 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  52. ↑ Coppack, Nick (10 August 2011). "Bebe suffers knee injury". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  53. ↑ Soccerway profile
  54. ↑ "Tiago Bebe". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2014.

External links