From Pontinha to Manchester

Paulo Costa is a 15 year old boy who was born in Guinea and traveled to Portugal when he was still a baby. As an orphan of a rather young father, he grew up alone with his mother and two brothers in the Serra da Luz neighborhood of Odivelas.

As with so many other kids in the outlying districts of Lisbon, he grew up undocumented, practically illegitimate, but with a knack for playing ball.

Football has always been present in his life, in fact, working with a means of escape for the difficulties of those who grow with little. Now, when the kid has reached fifteen, soccer has presented the invoice: it is time for Paulo Costa to return what he received.

"I went to Manchester United for an internship, I trained for five days with the U21 team and I played two private matches, one of which I doubled with Fellaini on the attack. We talked only on the field, 'pass',' go ',' 'here', these things But we understand each other quite well He's a very quiet guy It was a dream, incredible ... "

It all started at Pontinha Elementary School. It was there that Paulo played the ball, with friends, when the businessman Faustino Gomes discovered it and took it to Sacavenense. Faustino Gomes already represented Ali Hassan, the youthful forward of Sporting, who told him about Paulo Costa. The businessman then went to Pontinha to watch the young athlete.

"He found me at the school playing futsal, I was training in CAC at Pontinha, because I had colleagues there and I was not going to stand still, but the club could not sign me because I did not have any documents. ", reveals.

"He trained at the Pontinha CAC and played in a futsal team called Casal do Rato, as well as playing futsal at school, in school tournaments, and he saw me in one of those games and took me to Sacavenense. I was in the club I never played federated before Then in Sacavenense they wanted to stay with me, but since I still did not have the documents I could not be registered.I only registered in March when my Citizen Card arrived.After that I played in the U- 16. "

It was in one of the games of the youth team of Sacavenense that Paulo Costa was fortunate to be watched by a scout from Manchester United . There followed a report and an invitation from the training department for the young man to train five days in England.

Paulo Costa was discovered, trained in Sacavenense, received the documents, and traveled to Manchester. All this happened in just four months.

"It was a good experience," he said, "and I've had a very special admiration for the club since I was little and I saw Cristiano Ronaldo play there," he confesses.

"My classmates received me well, I do not speak much English, but I talk a lot and gave it a try." The first training by chance did not go very well, I lacked the intensity they had there and I was also a bit afraid. I played two games, in the first I scored two goals and in the second one. "

Paulo Costa joined U21's Manchester United team, having participated in a joint training game in which Fellaini also played: he scored twice.

He started the game on the bench, entered the second half and also scored a goal, with Van Gaal, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs playing on the bench.

"It was good, even because Van Gaal was watching on the bench. I was already expecting the club's superiors to see the game, because I had already heard about it, and I concentrated well before I started. game went very well for me. "

In the end, he adds, even his colleagues congratulated him. Paulo Costa smiled, said good-bye, and returned to Portugal with the businessman. The next day he returned to training in the youth team of Sacavenense and was naturally the center of attention: there were pat on the back, jokes and many questions. The kid was satisfying the curiosity of his colleagues, unable to kill his.

"Of course I'm anxious, it's normal, I'm nervous to get an answer from Manchester, whether they want me there or not, I have to wait and see."

For now, and while waiting, the 15-year-old striker smiles as he remembers the similarities of this story with the adventure of Baby, also him one day playing the Man. United.

"It's curious because he's from my neighborhood, too, from Serra da Luz, not from Casal de Mira, in Amadora, where I'm living now, but he left the neighborhood before I arrived."

However, despite this, there is one thing that the misunderstandings do not erase from memory: the fact that the two stories, that of Baby and that of Paulo Costa, are very fantastic.