A former Chelsea loan signing who Cristiano Ronaldo once described as better than him has been charged with raping a university student.
Former footballer turned porn star Fabio Paim is due to go on trial on November 18.
The 38-year-old has been accused of three offences over the early-hours April 20 2023 incident in the Algarve city of Faro - rape, criminal damage and trespassing.
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He allegedly forced his way into a shared student apartment and pulled his victim’s hair and threw her against a wall before the sex assault according to Portuguese press reports.
The rape victim, who was around 20 when she was targeted, has been described locally as the housemate of another woman Paim had initially met at a bar who confronted him when she saw him trying to get into one of the rooms.
DNA said to have been found on her clothes reportedly matched the former footballer’s and was “key” to his subsequent indictment.
Paim won 42 caps for Portugal at youth level but was never called up to the senior side.
Ronaldo, revealing he regarded the former Sporting Lisbon youth team winger as the most promising young player in Portugal of his generation, famously said after he signed for old club Manchester United in 2003: “If you think I’m good, just wait until you see Fabio Paim.”
He moved on loan to Chelsea in August 2008 when Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari was in charge but only appeared for Chelsea’s reserves during a four-month loan spell at the club and moved on loan again to northern Portuguese side Rio Ave.
He admitted after his loan spell at Chelsea, a deal engineered by his former agent Jorge Mendes, that he had been left frustrated at his lack of first-team football.
He said in a July 2017 interview, in which he blamed part of his fall from grace on the lack of support he received when he earned a fortune as an up-and-coming player: “I often trained with the first team but I didn’t play.
“I wanted to play. I felt I could do more. Jorge Mendes took me to Chelsea. I was getting good money and he had a player at the club and that was good for everyone.
“But that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is to do something we like.
“If it had been today I would have had more patience. But at the time, the more free time I had, the more stupid things I did.”
Paim, the son of Angolan parents, was twice accused of rape in 2012 and 2015 while he was still plying his trade but both cases ended up being archived without him going to trial.
The former footballer claimed the second case was sparked by a woman who made a false accusation against him to earn money.
In September 2019 he was cleared of any wrongdoing after being investigated over claims he belonged to a drugs gang transporting heroin to the Azores.
But in a separate case he was handed a suspended prison sentence the following year for drug trafficking, saying when the suspension period finished in a social media post: “One of the most difficult periods of my life has come to an end.
“You pay for your mistakes, and I’ve paid for mine.”
In September 2024 it emerged he had starred in an X-rated movie, with the actresses who appeared with him dubbing him a “lion” in bed at the time.
In his porn film debut he got a home massage from two women who ended up giving more than just a back rub.
After the sex tape went on sale on Telegram for €79, Diana Cu de Melancia who starred in the raunchy flick said: “We thought he was going to be nervous and it wouldn’t work out but Fabio turned out to be a lion.
“He was good at football and he’s good at porn. He’s going to be a success.”
Revealing she was looking forward to more X-rated scenes with the fallen footie star, the Lisbon-based adult entertainer added: “I hope this film is the first of many with Paim.”
Paim, such a promising talent he was paid £4,400 per week when he was just 13 plus a staggering £130,000 annual bonus, said at the time: “It’s difficult being in front of the cameras but I did it and I think I’ve got talent for this.
“I got a lot of pleasure and made two dreams come true, making the film and being with two spectacular women.
“I had a lot of pleasure, so much so that I had two orgasms.”