Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players of all time, has a history that is often overshadowed by his incredible success. Recently, there have been stories circulating about a teammate from his early days at Sporting who was reportedly better than him. Fabio Paim and Ronaldo played together at the beginning of their careers and according to Paim, Ronaldo told him that he was a better player than him.
Paim recently spoke to The Sun about his life after he and Ronaldo went their separate ways. He talked about how fame and fortune had destroyed him, but also how he ended up in prison on charges of drug dealing. In an interview, Paim stated that Ronaldo had said the following: “If you think I’m good, wait until you see Fabio Paim.” He repeated the same story in a podcast and claimed that if he worked half as hard as Ronaldo, he would be Messi’s main competitor for the Ballon d’Or.
However, Ronaldo himself commented on that interview in an unexpected way. He took to social media and asked “WTF? Who is this character?” It is clear that the Portuguese does not remember Paim. According to Transfermarkt, Paim played for more than 20 clubs in his career and his most valuable asset was worth 400,000 euros at one point when he was on loan at Chelsea. Despite his impressive career, it seems like Paim’s personal struggles have overshadowed his achievements on the field.
