Bebe: I would rather have stayed in homeless shelter than sign for Manchester United

MANCHESTER UNITED flop Bebe has admitted that he never liked football - and that he didn't really want to become a professional.

He arrived at Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson agreed a £7.4m deal with Portuguese third division side Vitoria de Guimaraes for the forward.

They spotted him at the Homeless World Cup - a competition Bebe admits he only played in for a bit of a laugh.

Now on loan at La Liga side Rayo Vallecano from Benfica, the forward opened up on his bizarre transfer to the Theatre of Dreams.

He said: “I had eight years in an orphanage. There, I did not like football.

“But my friends always wanted to play and I had no choice but to join in.

“At first I thought it was a joke [when he was told of United’s interest], but then I saw it was true and understood that it was a unique opportunity.

“I remember being on the bench and Fergie told me: ‘Warm up’. I just stood still for a few seconds, before I knew what to do."

But while most people would jump at the chance to become a professional footballer, Bebe admits that he would have preferred to stay at the shelter where he was living.

He added: “They asked me to go to the Homeless World Cup, and I accepted.

“I went there as a joke, but scored 40 goals in six matches.

“I didn’t want to sign for a team because I did not want to have to leave the orphanage.

“It was difficult to leave. But I carried on going back there to sleep whenever I could.

“At United I learned to be a man. And everything they taught me I still apply in my life."