Man United flop Bebe scores 40-yard free-kick for Cape Verde at AFCON | OneFootball

Highlights

Former Manchester United flop Bebe has scored arguably the goal of his life with an outstanding free kick during the Africa Cup of Nations. The Portuguese-born winger who represents Cape Verde channelled and produced his inner Cristiano Ronaldo to give his side the lead in their group-stage match against Mozambique.

The Blue Sharks were looking for their second consecutive victory of the tournament following a 2-1 win over a Ghana side containing the likes of Andre Ayew and Inaki Williams. With a win guaranteeing progression into the knock-out phase of the competition, the Rayo Vallecano attacker gave his country the lead in spectacular fashion.

Bebe scores 40-yard knuckleball

The goal bears similarity to a famous Cristiano Ronaldo strike

Having been awarded a free kick that was closer to the halfway line than the penalty area, the 33-year-old stood over the ball with most expecting him to deliver a cross. Instead, he produced an absolute worldie of a strike that bamboozled the goalkeeper and nestled into the back of the net.

The thunderbolt was eerily similar to that of a goal scored by former Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. During a Champions League semi-final game against Arsenal, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner fired a deadball from a similar range, beating Manuel Almunia for pace.

Bebe, who has featured 11 times for his national team, has become something of a free-kick specialist in recent years. He has produced some fantastic long-range efforts in both La Liga and Copa del Rey fixtures for Rayo Vallecano. In fact, a report from The Athletic shows that the former Benfica player averages 5.3 shots per game at a distance of 30.2 yards.

Bebe's career

The forward is seen as one of Man United's worst signings

Bebe joined Manchester United in 2010 after the club activated his release clause of £7.4m. It was believed that Sir Alex Ferguson signed the attacker following a recommendation from his former assistant Carlos Queiroz. Queiroz believed that Bebe had untapped potential and could provide competition for the likes of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

Unfortunately, things did pan out for the Portugal Under-21 international. He made just seven appearances in total at Old Trafford, with only two of those coming in the Premier League. He did manage to score in his only Champions League appearance for the club during a 3-0 win at Bursaspor, but that didn't stop him from being considered as one of the worst signings in the club's history.

After several loan spells between 2011-2014, he made a permanent move to Benfica, which turned out to be just as unsuccessful. He would go on to become a journeyman footballer, featuring for six clubs between 2014-2023. He has seemingly found himself a home at Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, where he has provided 41 goal contributions in 182 games.