2023 AFCON: Man Utd flop Bebé scores best goal contender

Manchester United flop, Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, nicknamed Bebé, scored a long-range freekick worthy of consideration for the 2023 African Cup of Nations goal of the tournament.

The Rayo Vallecano winger netted the screamer to give Cape Verde a 1-0 lead against Mozambique in the second Group B game at the ongoing tournament in Ivory Coast.

33-year-old Bebe had hit the bar from an opposite similar range and came close but was denied by the woodwork.

However, in the 32nd minute, Bebe found the back of the net through a freekick from 40 yards as Cape Verde continued their impressive start in the tournament.

As Cape Verde sealed an impressive six points and a ticket to the knockouts, Mozambique, on the other hand, will have many questions to ask their goalkeeper, who appeared to have had all the time in the world before fumbling the shot.

Watch the video below:

Cape Verde began their 2023 AFCON campaign with a shocking 2-1 win against the Black Stars of Ghana, before securing all three points with a 3-0 win against Mozambique to secure their spot in the next round of the competition.

Bebe joined the Red Devils for £7.4m in 2010 under Sir Alex Ferguson but the striker failed to live up to expectations and never made a name for himself Premier League.

“Sometimes you have to go on instinct and sometimes you have to trust your staff as well,” the ex-United manager said of the striker he didn’t watch before splashing out £7.4m transfer fee.

Justifying his decision, Ferguson added, “This was a first for me, but we rate our scouting department very highly and our scout in Portugal was adamant we needed to do something, and quickly.”

“I know Real Madrid were hovering and so were Benfica,” Ferguson said. “It was one of those decisions that had to be made quickly, so I made it quickly. I don’t think it’s a risk or a fairy story [Bébé was brought up in an orphanage and spent part of his childhood on the streets] it’s just an incentive to all young players who haven’t necessarily had the best start to their careers.

“There are plenty of good young players who don’t get the breaks, or the right opportunities right at the outset, but get noticed in the end. Stuart Pearce was one of them. Bébé is still young – because he’s not yet 21 we don’t have to name him in our squad of 25 – and when you get players at that age you can give them time. With all the experience we have in our first-team squad, we don’t need to rush them.”

However, it didn’t end well for Bebe in the red half of Manchester and in 2013, he eventually criticised his treatment by the legendary Scot who he claimed called him ‘baby’.

“When I arrived I went into the room and saw Ferguson was looking at me,” he said nine years ago.

“He told me to cut my hair, it will look better. So I cut it the same day. In the next training session, he didn’t recognise me. I went passed him many times and he didn’t know me.

“He didn’t speak much but I didn’t understand much. He has a difficult accent, so I understood nothing. He called me ‘Baby’. After I told him it wasn’t like that.”