The mad story of Betinho, the Man Utd 'signing' who never played for the club
Around a year ago, Manchester United fans were unbelievably confused after a random player was added to their Premier League squad.
The Red Devils brought in both Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst on loan deals but there appeared to be a new addition for the Old Trafford club.
On the official Premier League website, a player called 'Betinho' was registered and joined the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho on the forward list.
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He was listed as wearing the No.11 shirt now worn by £72 million striker Rasmus Hojlund but a picture was not added.
However, it turned out that Betinho was actually a legitimate, real-life player who used to play for Sporting CP and Brentford, making just one appearance for the Bees on loan and spending the majority of his time in the development squad.
At the time, the player was plying his trade with S.C Espinho and compilations of him in action began to surface online.
And quite rightly, the Portugal Under 21 international lapped up the surprise level of attention he was receiving.
He shared a screenshot of his profile on the Premier League site, and joked he would be seeing compatriots Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot soon.
He wrote: "Thank you @manchesterunited, see you soon. @brunofernandes8 @diogodalot."
Betinho also posted a mocked-up picture of him in a United kit and was asked about his new-found fandom.
"I only knew it was true when my mates sent me messages and then I confirmed that it was indeed my name on the Premier League website," Betinho told Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias.
"I got more calls today than on my birthday.'
Of course no move materialised and according to journalist Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, his profile being created was nothing more than a technical issue which the club informed the Premier League about.
Whitwell wrote: "Suffice to say Manchester United are not signing 'Betinho', the new No 11 named in their squad on the Premier League website.
"Nothing to do with the club, who have alerted the Premier League. It's a 'technical issue' staff are working to rectify. Bit of mischief it seems."
The 30-year-old, who is reportedly also a personal trainer, has since retired and joined Dragoes Sandinenses, an amateur side in Sandim, Vila Nova de Gaia, as assistant manager.
Yet incredibly, Betinho still has a profile on the Premier League site despite it stating that he never made an appearance.
He played for Portugal at every youth level from Under 15's to Under 21's but id not make the step up to the senior side.
Betinho joined Sporting's first-team in 2011 but spent three years playing for the reserve team.
He turned out for a number of clubs in Portugal, including Vitoria Setubal, Belenenses, Uniao Madeira and Lusitania.
The streets will never forget.
Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Man Utd
Josh Lawless