Bebe is probably one of the strangest signings made by Sir Alex Ferguson in his time at Manchester United.
The Portuguese winger was bought from Vitoria de Guimaraes in the summer of 2010, hardly a few weeks after he had signed for the Portuguese first division club from one of the lower tier clubs Estrela.
United paid a little over £7 million for Bebe to Vitoria, who had signed the player previously on a free transfer. The signing was even more puzzling as Ferguson admitted he had never seen the player play.
Bebe did not have a great time of it after arriving at Old Trafford and was promptly move out on loan in the next couple of seasons, with his latest stint at Rio Ave going pretty well.
"I think I left my country too early," Bebe told MaisFutebol. "I hadn't played in the league and it was too soon to go to Manchester United, surrounded by superstars.
"I should have stayed at least one season in Guimaraes. But it was all of a sudden, unexpected.
"I was at practice and president of Victoria called me. He told me he had to go quickly to the home of agent Jorge Mendes.
"When I got there, Jorge greeted me, smiled and gave me the news: 'want to go to Manchester United? Yes? So you're going.' I didn't believe it.
"I thought he was kidding me, honestly. I don't know if the transfer price was fair or not, but I know that Ferguson trusted the information that was passed on about me.
"I know that I am capable of making a difference with my drive and pace, and in English football this is fundamental and maybe Mr Ferguson looked at this."
Bebe admitted he stopped working hard after sealing his move to United, thinking he had achieved what he had set out to do.
"It's amazing to remember it all," Bebe added. "The people at the club helped me a lot and I learned a lot. The first week was tough. I was very embarrassed and didn't talk to anyone.
"I just wanted to be in my corner, watching. I still remember the days when I was in the House of Gaiato and dreamed of being one of those players.
"I thought, I'm here, I've earned it, I don't have to push myself every day. The fault was mine alone, then when I tried to go the right way it was too late.
"If I could go back, I would change a lot in my behavior. I joked around at Manchester United but everyone else took everything very seriously. They were unhappy with me and rightly so."
