da bwin： In a GOAL exclusive, the striker says he never gave up on his dream despite ending up working in a fast-food restaurant after being let go by Benfica

da pinup bet： Beto always believed he would become a professional footballer. Even when he was 18 years of age and playing for amateur outfit Uniao Tires in the fifth tier of Portuguese football, while also working in a KFC outlet, he was so convinced he would make it that he was willing to back himself – literally.

"I had a positive mentality," the striker tells GOAL. "I thought, 'I'm tall, I'm strong, I'm fast – and you can't train these things.' If you're slow, you'll always be slow. So, I thought, 'I have these skills – the techniques and the intelligence of the game, these things I can learn and improve.' So, from there, with this self-confidence, I started to develop. I even told my team-mates, 'I will become a footballer', and I am proud of this fact. In my opinion, if you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will.

"One day, when my team-mates and I were warming up, they were teasing me about this and they said, 'Okay, let's make a bet, then: in five years you will be a professional?' I said, 'Okay, fine.' And I did it – and after only four years!'"

GettyHow Beto became Beto'o

It really has been a remarkable rise to prominence, and it's nearly all down to Beto's impressive work ethic and unwavering self-belief. The Lisbon native's potential had been obvious from a young age and his family and coaches at Tires told him he was similar in style to Barcelona and Inter icon Samuel Eto'o.

"They said I had to choose the No.9 jersey because I was so like him, but I didn't know him at first as I didn't watch my football as a kid," he admits. "But later I went looking for videos of him and he became my idol. I liked his game, so he was the first player I impersonated!"

Indeed, he even began spelling his name 'Beto'o' – as a tribute to his hero.

AdvertisementBenfica release a blessing in disguise

However, unlike Eto'o, who was discovered by Real Madrid at just 16, Beto was no child prodigy. He had been signed by Benfica at 12, but was released after just one season with the club he had supported as a child.

Such a setback would have devastated many kids, but Beto learned a lot from the experience. It made him realise how much he would have to improve to realise his dream.. "I met so many great coaches, players and people there but, honestly, I saw that I wasn't yet prepared or ready to play football at that level," he explains. "I was, of course, a little disappointed when they let me go but then I went back to Tires play with my friends, close to home, so that helped me recover and develop."

Beto freely admits that being let go by Benfica may have been a blessing in disguise. Having to work his way up from the bottom taught him the value of money and is arguably the reason why he remains so grounded. He certainly hasn't forgotten where he's come from, given he still has friends working at KFC.

GettyAnother bargain buy by Udinese

Besides, it's not as if he was suddenly catapulted into the spotlight after becoming a regular in the Tires first team. It was only after he signed for Olimpico Montijo in 2018 that his career really began to take off.

Beto scored 21 goals in what proved his one and only season with the third-tier outfit, earning himself a move to Primeira Liga side Portimonense. Even then, though, Beto had to bid his time. He made just 11 appearances in his first season in the top-flight, and failed to find the back of the net once.

In 2020-21, though, Beto broke out, finishing as Portimonense's top scorer, with 11 goals. There was talk of a summer switch to one of Portugal's 'Big Three' – Benfica, Sporting CP and Porto – but he ended up moving abroad, joining Udinese on loan with an obligation to buy for €7 million ($6m/$7.5m).

The Friuli are renowned as one of the canniest operators in the transfer market, particularly when it comes to acquiring rough diamonds from outside Italy, but Beto is now regarded as one of the best bargain buys in the club's history.

GettyRepaying Udinese in goals

Despite seeing his first sensational season cruelly curtailed by an injury, he ended up scoring 21 goals in 61 Serie A appearances – which was no mean feat for a struggling side.

Beto was driven by a determination to repay the club and its supporters for the way in which they both welcomed and looked after him. His primary objective was to do so in goals, but it was clear long before the end of his second season at the Dacia Arena that he was also destined to earn Udinese a significant profit on their initial investment in his services.