Why dream Manchester United move ending was 'the best moment of my life'

He had a turbulent life, spending eight of his early years in an orphanage, where he admitted he didn't like football. But would end up playing for Manchester United.

But how did the same man then come to describe leaving Old Trafford as "the best moment of my life" when it all went wrong?

Fans might laugh and remember him as a flop, but there is a hard-hitting and human side to this story.

This is Bebe's story.

Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, more commonly known as Bebe, enjoyed the ultimate rags-to-riches tale.

From a player who starred for Portugal at the Homeless World Cup, after being abandoned by his parents, to sign for Manchester United was a true pinch-yourself moment. What happened afterwards is now widely known. Sir Alex Ferguson had never actually seen his £7million signing play and when Bebe did get a game for United, he was largely disappointing and derided by supporters.

But it's worth going back to the start of Bebe's journey to understand how seismic his rise to prominence really was, and how hard the fall would be.

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The stories about Bebe being abandoned by his parents at the age of 12 are completely true. They could not afford to keep him.

He spent eight years living at a church-run homeless shelter, after a brief spell living with his grandmother in a suburb of Lisbon, where he was taught to read, write and play football. The Casa do Gaiato shelter in Santo Antao do Toja is largely responsible for developing a footballer who went on to play for Manchester United, and who played in the Portuguese and Spanish top tiers.

It was latterly during his years at the homeless shelter when Bebe was asked to play at the Homeless World Cup — here, he made a significant name