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After being signed by a Premier League club at 16, the Portuguese ex-footballer fell on hard times
Former Swansea youngster Causso Darame, once a promising footballer likened to Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, has been sentenced to over four years in prison following a vicious robbery that left his victim with life-altering injuries.
Darame’s disappointing professional career
Darame, now 25, was signed by Swansea City at just 16, earning a professional contract by 18. At the time, he was heralded as a bright prospect, but his career failed to take off, and his contract was not renewed.
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After trying to resurrect his career with spells at Damaiense in his native Portugal as well as Teutonia 05 and VfR Horst in the lower rungs of German football, Darame officially ended his football career in 2022 at the age of 23.
The sudden end to his football aspirations left Darame struggling with feelings of failure, especially as a young father.
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Unable to cope, he turned to dealing heroin and crack cocaine, a path that led to his involvement in increasingly violent criminal activities. The Cardiff-born player admitted to both robbery and possession of a large “Rambo” knife, used in an attack on 19-year-old Ronnie Evans.
Darame sentenced after brutal crime
The attack occurred in May 2023, when Darame stabbed Evans in the leg and stole his necklace and bracelet.
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The knife missed a major artery by millimetres, but the assault severed two nerves, leaving Evans partially paralysed and in chronic pain.
Once an aspiring electrician and talented tennis player, Evans now requires a splint to walk and has been forced to abandon his career and sports.
During sentencing, Judge Daniel Neill condemned Darame's actions, calling the robbery “vicious” and noting its devastating impact on the victim’s life.
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Darame received a combined sentence of four years and seven months for robbery and knife possession. Half of the sentence will be served in custody, with the remainder on license.
Once a teenager with the world at his feet, he now faces years behind bars, a stark reminder of the consequences of veering off the right path.
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