‘Women, drugs and cars wrecked my career’: Football prodigy Fabio Paim's tragic downfall

Cristiano Ronaldo has often mentioned that Fabio Paim, a fellow Portuguese footballer, was more talented than he ever was. Ronaldo, despite his incredible success, has credited Paim as having superior natural ability. The two grew up playing together in Sporting CP's youth academy, where Paim's talent was regarded as exceptional. However, while Ronaldo's career skyrocketed, Paim struggled with discipline and external pressures, leading to a career downfall...

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar famously claimed in 2003 (at the time he was a Manchester United player) that Fabio Paim was a better footballer than him.

"If you think I'm good, just wait until you see Fabio Paim," shared Cristiano Ronaldo after being signed with Manchester United.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Who was Fabio Paim? A local Sporting Lisbon academy talent, born in Estoril (Portugal), who was highly regarded as one of the most promising players in Europe, according to OneFootball.

By the age of 16, Paim was offered a lucrative £18,000-a-week contract ($24k, €21k) with Sporting, making him one of the most valued youngsters at the time. Big clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern, and Real Madrid had their eyes set on him.

Despite his immense talent and his great ability on the pitch, Paim's demise was his abundant amount of wealth. The young Portuguese player spent lavishly on luxury cars and lived a glamorous life, spinning him out of focus.

"Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porche, Maserati, and even a Punto. Every car you could imagine... When you have a lot of money, you need a support system around you. I would have done it differently if I could," shared Paim during an interview with Globo Esporte.

"At the time, no one criticized me when things were going well. But when I stopped playing, they started pointing the finger. I just wanted to be with my cars," he added during the interview.

After struggling to cope with the abundance of fame and money, Paim opted to join Chelsea in 2008 on a loan move, hoping it would revive his career.

Nevertheless, the Chelsea move backfired quickly as "there [Chelsea] where I stopped training and doing my work. I started drinking. I had money and started doing a lot of things I didn't do before. The doors were open for me to do what I felt like," shared Paim during the interview.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

He would return to Sporting just a year later, just to be released from the Portuguese club without a single league appearance.

Paim's football career turned into a wild adventure, as he played for 12 different clubs across 7 countries. The Portuguese winger achieved very little success and was unable to regain his old form.

His struggles extended beyond football - he was released by a Luxembourg team for unprofessional behavior.

In 2019, Paim was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, however, he was later acquitted. Paim has also been involved with the production of adult content.

Although Paim had a very turbulent football career, upon hanging his boots, he turned his life around again. In 2020, Paim retired to Sporting to take on the job of a youth coach.

"I feel it's mandatory for me to give back to the kids and teach them what I didn't have anyone to teach me because I can't give the gift or talent I was born with to anyone, but if I can teach what I have learned from my experience... That will be enough for me. Parents don't want their kids to end up like me," shared Paim in his interview.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!