In an interview with Globo Esporte via Record, Paim stated that he was a better player than Ronaldo during their time at Sporting’s youth team, but he lacked the work ethic to develop his talent.
“He grew up with me; we spent a long time together. I was Sporting’s number one at that time. Cristiano started to be Cristiano when he went to Manchester. Even then, nobody knew he would become what he is today.”
“Today Cristiano is the king, Paim is nobody. And people say, ‘Oh, he’s a liar, he wasn’t better.’ But the truth is that I was better than him, and everyone knows that. I had more talent. But talent is nothing; talent is just a little bit. If you don’t have the rest, you’ll be nobody.”
Commenting on the interview shared on Instagram, Ronaldo expressed his shock, questioning who Paim is.
“Wtf??? Who is this guy?” Ronaldo wrote.
Fabio Paim played for a total of 19 clubs in his professional career. He last played for the Portuguese League 2 side Leixões Sports Club in 2018.
He played for Chelsea at one point in his career, earning a loan move from Sporting to the English side, but only featured for the reserves.
The 36-year-old faced serious allegations during his playing career, including accusations of rape in 2012 and 2015, but neither case led to a trial.
Currently, Fabio Paim has begun a new career in the film industry as a pornographic actor.
