– He was better than Cristiano Ronaldo – the world footballer himself admitted that. Nevertheless, the former child prodigy Fabio Paim failed, ending up first in lower leagues and then in prison. Now he wants to realize his dream as a porn actor.
Sinan Kurt, Hachim Mastour, Marko Marin: The list of former child prodigies who were not even close to fulfilling the great hopes at the beginning of their careers is long. Some of these lost talents ended their careers early or are playing in football’s no man’s land, others are trying their luck in other industries and seeking the big stage – for example as porn actors.
In fact, Fabio Paim explained in a conversation with Portuguese YouTuber Tiago Paiva that he would “love to act in a porn film”: “I’m serious, it would make my dreams come true. I don’t have a girlfriend, I’m single.” During the filming of the YouTube episode, the 36-year-old had his picture taken with porn actress Diana Melancia, among others, and posted the resulting photo on his Instagram account.
Ronaldo on Paim: “He is better than me”
The dream now leads to bed and the porn industry instead of the pitch and the Champions League – although he had the potential for a global career in professional football. Paim was once considered a Portuguese prodigy and was often compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was only three years older. The Portuguese record-breaker, who many would call the best footballer of all time, said of his compatriot Paim in 2003: “If you think I’m good, wait until you see Fabio Paim. He’s better than me.”
In the following two decades, however, the lives of the two highly talented Portuguese players developed very differently. Cristiano Ronaldo, who by his own admission was weaker than Fabio Paim, was named World Player of the Year three times, European Footballer of the Year four times and Footballer of the Year 13 times; he won the Ballon d’Or five times and the Golden Shoe four times. And that was just a fraction of his personal successes. Added to that was a European Championship title, five Champions League victories, three English and two Spanish championships and so on. And one would like to imagine how this highly praised Fabio Paim would have played, what he would have won. But one has to imagine it, because the football world saw little of the former child prodigy: the 36-year-old, who learned to play football at the Sporting Lisbon academy, was under contract with Chelsea FC, among others, but also with 18 other clubs – rarely top-class, but spread across the world. Paim played in China, Angola, Qatar, Malta and Lithuania, among others – and sank into oblivion after a brief hype.
Although the Portuguese never made it to the big stage of football, he is still convinced of his talent: “I was special, I know I should be more modest, but it was like that. I don’t think there is a player with my qualities today.” However, the 36-year-old admitted that he lacked the commitment that helped Cristiano Ronaldo achieve fame and success: “Technically I was better. I was a little Ronaldinho, but as you can see, it’s not technique that gets you ahead.” Instead, the Portuguese junior international succumbed to the lure of quick money – and squandered it, according to his own statements to the “Sun”, on “cars, women, alcohol and parties”. Paim looks back: “The talent was there, but my mind wasn’t. My head was occupied with women and parties – with everything other than football.”
Accusations of rape, prison for drugs
Paim’s downfall is not only due to the fact that his football career never really took off, but also that his path ultimately led him to prison. Aside from two rape charges that were ultimately dropped, Paim spent a year in prison for drug trafficking and possession. Every day, he looked out over the headquarters of the Portuguese Football Association, not far away, where the team had been preparing for the 2020 European Championship.
The ex-footballer has now served his sentence and drawn his conclusions. Paim told Portuguese YouTuber Paiva: “Prison was very hard, both for me and for my family. But it was also good. I learned that what comes easily to you is not good for you. And I could no longer lead that lifestyle, I had to work and have dignity. My life is calmer now. I am sure that I will make mistakes because I am human. Prison is no place for a child like me.”
So: Paim’s path led – fueled by great hopes – into the depths of global football, via prison and various problems with the justice system, and now probably into bed – as a porn actor who now wants to “make his dreams come true”.
