I lived in a homeless shelter for 8 years before life-changing move to Man Utd

ONE STAR went from living in a homeless shelter for EIGHT years to lining-up for Manchester United.

After being spotted at the Homeless World Cup, Sir Alex Ferguson stumped up £7.4million to sign Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, nicknamed Bebe, back in 2010.

The Portuguese attacker, now 33, was recommended to him by No2 Carlos Queiroz.

And Sir Alex activated the player's release clause at Vitoria Guimaraes despite having NEVER seen him play.

That move should have been the ultimate rags to riches fairytale but it ended in Bebe being regularly labelled one of the biggest failures in the Premier League's history.

He left in 2014 having made just seven senior appearances in four years and when he found out he was being sold to Benfica he said it was the “best moment of my life”.

But despite his failure to make it on the big stage at Old Trafford, the fact he even got to play for the Red Devils given his early upbringing is a remarkable feat.

Bebe, now 33, spent almost a decade in a homeless shelter after being abandoned by his parents.

Speaking previously to the Daily Star, he explained how he was taught to read and write and reluctantly learned how to play football: “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.”

He soon took to the game like a duck to water on the pitch at Lisbon's Caso do Gaiato and soon Bebe's first big break came when he was convinced to represent Portugal at the Homeless World Cup.

He said: “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.”

Those performances soon had clubs sniffing an eyeing a bargain - but Bebe says he wanted to stay HOMELESS.

He