Lyndon Lloyd 25/07/2024 7comments  |  Jump to last

Beto says that a desire to prove his detractors wrong is what pushes him to improve as a footballer.

The striker has been defying the doubters his entire career, from his lowly beginnings at Uniao Tires in Portugal's fifth tier where he would work part-time at KFC to bring in cash to his big-money move to Everton last year, one that has yet to fully get going.

Beto struggled to impress last season after joining from Udinese in a £26m deal, starting just 10 games in all competitions and scoring four of his five goals coming off the bench, with his gangly and unpredictable style drawing skepticism from observers.

As he begins his first full season as an Everton player — he was signed shortly before the transfer deadline last August, three games into the campaign —  he is determined to show that he has what it takes to be success in one of Europe's toughest leagues.

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"We need to understand one thing: football is simple," Beto told BBC Sport. "We play football in our lives and [the supporters] are working like eight- or 12-hour shifts and they come.

"Not everybody in this life is going to love you and not everybody in this life is going to hate you. In this sports life, for me, it's OK.

"Sometimes I like to read my comments when I played badly or missed chances. They will say 'Beto is shit with missing chances'. But I like it because I say 'OK, I will make this guy shut his mouth.'

"I take it personal too. When I'm in training the next week or the next day, I remember it and I say 'No, this guy is not going to say this about me any more' and I keep going.

“I need to have competition and I need to have people criticising me. I need to have haters. I need these kind of things in my life. Even when I was young it was always like this. When it is football I take it really seriously.

"I have notes. I have screenshots from Facebook, YouTube — when they say something like I'm not good enough or something like that, I say 'OK'. I take a screenshot, I put it on my notes and I read it."

 

Reader Comments (7)

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Michael Fox
1 Posted 25/07/2024 at 23:30:38
I've always liked this guy, with the right supply he will make a great stricker.
Si Cooper
2 Posted 25/07/2024 at 23:34:50
Hope he is right that he can channel the criticism and make people change their minds. If he’s a confidence player, however, he needs to be much better from the start of the season because I doubt he will get any slack.
Anthony Jones
3 Posted 25/07/2024 at 23:37:09
I'm sorry Beto, criticised or not, you are an athlete but not a footballer.

Screenshot that.

Ben King
4 Posted 25/07/2024 at 23:58:16
Just do your talking on the pitch

What we saw last season was a poor first touch, an inability to make the ball stick and some erratic finishing

We did also see some decent link up play, a presence up top and brute determination that led to decent offensive plays

So what will you show us this coming season because that will dictate the off field opinions

Dale Self
5 Posted 25/07/2024 at 23:58:26
Hee hee! This man is going to make a fool of many doubters whether they admit it or not. He may not have the finesse of Dom but he damn sure has the physicality needed in this league. I believe he can also carry the drive in the front line as Duke and Tark do in their lines.

The Beto goes on.

John Wilson
6 Posted 26/07/2024 at 00:14:45
I love his attitude. He knows he is not the best and needs to improve. He didn't buy himself. But if he shows heart and passion, our fans will love him. A full pre season might really make a difference as he didn't have that with us. He has some balls. He identifies that he is in a privileged situation now but identifies with the average person as he himself worked in KFC not too long ago. He has the build and the finishing and goals count. Just needs to keep working on first touch, taking balls down from Dyche ball, and holding the ball up better. He needs to be more like Dom and needs to be in a Dyche team. But with the players coming in and those that have come in, even Dyche ball might evolve to something resembling football. We can hope.
Kieran Kinsella
7 Posted 26/07/2024 at 00:47:15
So he reads ToffeeWeb then. He’s an odd duck. Italy is usually the league of technically adept yet he did well there whereas England 100 mph and physical seems more up his alley yet he hasn’t impressed so far.

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