Very likely that's his career finished at a top echelon club like ourselves (if he was ever going to make it that is). He had a very steep learning curve as it was, and he might just be too old now to catch up in time. Not writing off his career entirely, just at the very top level.
Well could be like an Ebanks-Blake. Stutters but eventually settles at a mid-level Prem club and provides good quality shifts. Or he'll find his way back to Portugal and flourish!
5/6/2012: Bebe has revealed in an interview with Record that he's set to be loaned out again next season. A cruciate knee injury wrecked his spell in Turkey with Bursaspor last year. "I had to readjust everything," he admits. "I'll be loaned [again]."
Poor guy? This guy is making more money, then he has probably ever earned. Worst case, he could probably go back and play for some mid to low in the table Portuguese club, like the club we took him from. He's blessed. I would kill to be in his position.
All this is true. I was just saying poor guy because he just looked so hopeless when he played for us.
I do think there's a Championship or low level Portuguese player in there, honestly. I do feel bad for him. He'll never be worth 5 million, let alone us recoup our cost (at least not if you don't count Mendes' influence over the next few years) but I hope he can get something out of this. He is a lottery winner in the sense that he was chosen to be the pawn in this buy money deal to Mendes, he has to take it. If he can get a loan to a place where he'll get worked on, that would be great.
I wonder if SAF got a tip about Bebe from Ali Dia? http://www.thefootballsupernova.com/2012/04/ali-dia-greatest-scam-premier-league.html
TBF, he does look like a competition winner. A "Collect 50 Walkers Crisps Packets and Enter a Prize Draw to Win a Match with Manchester United" type competition. PS - I have a notebook... Some recent stats: NM "Bebe Competition Winner" 14 times "I don't much care for Malcolm Glazer" 18,976 times Johno "I appreciate what Michael Carrick brings to our team" 7,562 times "Rooney should do more with what he has" 8,752 times SM "You should either use the correct accent characters, or type the equivalent letters" 7,967,842 times Assorted Eurocentric MLSers "MLS should implement promotion and relegation and abolish the salary cap" 756,254,456,356,678,234,235,123,789 times
I'm still pulling for the kid. He needs to come back to the Portuguese league, or should have accepted the offer from Benfica first to get his beak wet.