Beto (footballer, born May 1976)

Roberto Luís Gaspar de Deus Severo OIH (born 3 May 1976), known as Beto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbɛtu]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played mainly as a central defender.

Beto
Beto in 2012
Personal information
Full name Roberto Luís Gaspar de Deus Severo
Date of birth (1976-05-03) 3 May 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
1987–1988 CAC Pontinha
1988–1994 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–2006 Sporting CP 241 (21)
1994–1995União Lamas (loan) 21 (0)
1995–1996Campomaiorense (loan) 18 (1)
2006–2007 Bordeaux 4 (0)
2006–2007Recreativo (loan) 25 (2)
2007–2009 Recreativo 26 (2)
2009–2010 Belenenses 10 (0)
2011 Alzira 0 (0)
Total 345 (26)
International career
1996–1998 Portugal U21 13 (2)
1997–2004 Portugal 31 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 2004 Portugal
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Belgium-Netherlands
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third place 1995 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played most of his professional career with Sporting CP (ten seasons, 315 official games and five major titles),[1] but also had spells in France and Spain, which included spending three years with Recreativo de Huelva.

Beto represented the Portugal national team at the 2002 World Cup and two European Championships, winning 31 caps.

Club career

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Sporting CP

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A product of Primeira Liga club Sporting CP, Lisbon-born Beto established himself in the first team in the 1996–97 season at the age of just 20, after two loans.[2] As a defensive force and captain he scored some important goals, including against FC Porto, but also two own goals in a single match against rivals S.L. Benfica, a 1–2 home loss.[3]

Beto won the national league twice, in 2000 and 2002, conquering the double the latter year.[4] During his ten-year spell at the Estádio José Alvalade, he managed to net at least once in every season.[5]

Recreativo

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After falling out with Sporting coach Paulo Bento in January 2006,[6] Beto joined Ligue 1 club FC Girondins de Bordeaux for 1 million,[7] but appeared sparingly for the French in his five-month stint. On the last day of the summer transfer window that year, he was sent on loan to La Liga returnee Recreativo de Huelva.[8]

On 1 July 2007, Beto signed a three-year permanent deal with the Andalusia side.[9] After two solid first campaigns (netting twice in each, and partnering compatriots Carlos Martins and Silvestre Varela in 2007–08),[10][11][12][13][14] he only played three matches in his last due to recurrent physical problems,[15] as they eventually ranked last.

Retirement

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After terminating his contract with Recreativo,[16] the 33-year-old Beto signed for one year with C.F. Os Belenenses, in August 2009.[17] As in latest years, his first season was blighted by constant injuries, and the capital side was also relegated.[18][19]

In late January 2011, aged almost 35, Beto returned to Spain and agreed to a short-term deal at UD Alzira in the Segunda División B. He reunited at the club with former Sporting teammate Luís Lourenço,[20] and both were released in June after the team's relegation, having appeared in a combined total of three games.

Beto returned to Sporting in August 2011, being appointed external public relations director.[21] He quit his post two years later.[22]

International career

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Beto made his Portugal debut on 6 September 1997, in a 1–1 draw against Germany for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Berlin. He was subsequently part of the nation's squads at the 2002 World Cup – where he scored against the United States, as the national team lost 3–2 and exited in the group stage (he played that competition as a right-back)[23][24]– and both the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.[25]

Career statistics

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Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Beto goal.
List of international goals scored by Beto
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 August 2000 Estádio do Fontelo, Viseu, Portugal   Lithuania 4–1 5–1 Friendly[26]
2 5 June 2002 Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea   United States 1–3 2–3 2002 FIFA World Cup[23]

Honours

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Sporting CP

Portugal

Orders

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References

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  1. ^ A galeria dos 300 (The 300 gallery); Sporting CP, 5 January 2023 (in Portuguese)
  2. ^ Beto: «Tenho boas recordações dos jogos em Guimarães» (Beto: "I have good memories of the games in Guimarães"); Record, 22 February 2002 (in Portuguese)
  3. ^ Beto: «Importante foi a atitude da equipa» (Beto: "The attitude of the team was the most important"); Record, 30 April 2001 (in Portuguese)
  4. ^ a b c Beto: «Solidariedade viu-se dentro de campo» (Beto: "Solidarity was shown on the pitch"); Record, 18 May 2002 (in Portuguese)
  5. ^ 'El Capitán', o central goleador: Coates subiu ao pódio dos defesas com mais golos pelo Sporting ('El Capitán', the scoring stopper: Coates reached podium of defenders with the most goals for Sporting); SAPO, 20 October 2021 (in Portuguese)
  6. ^ Caso Beto continua a fervilhar no Sporting (Beto affair still abuzz at Sporting); Público, 14 January 2006 (in Portuguese)
  7. ^ Bordeaux bring in Beto; UEFA, 23 January 2006
  8. ^ Beto apresentado no Recreativo de Huelva (Beto presented at Recreativo de Huelva); Record, 4 September 2006 (in Portuguese)
  9. ^ El Recreativo de Huelva confirma el fichaje del portugués 'Beto' (Recreativo de Huelva confirm signing of Portuguese 'Beto'); Diario AS, 1 July 2007 (in Spanish)
  10. ^ El Racing s'imposa al Recreativo en un festival de gols al Sardinero (4–3) (Racing best Recreativo in goal festival at Sardinero (4–3)); Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals, 27 November 2006 (in Catalan)
  11. ^ El Recre hunde un poquito más a la Real Sociedad (1–0) (Recre sink Real Sociedad a little more (1–0)); 20 minutos, 18 February 2007 (in Spanish)
  12. ^ Espanha: portugueses do Recreativo Huelva têm novo treinador (Spain: Recreativo Huelva's Portuguese have a new manager)); Mais Futebol, 4 July 2007 (in Portuguese)
  13. ^ El Sevilla, con dos goles de Luis Fabiano, hunde al Recreativo (Sevilla, with two goals from Luis Fabiano, sink Recreativo); La Nueva España, 4 February 2008 (in Spanish)
  14. ^ El Deportivo cae en Huelva ante un rival con diez jugadores durante 40 minutos (Deportivo fall in Huelva against opposition with ten players for 40 minutes); La Voz de Galicia, 17 February 2008 (in Spanish)
  15. ^ El portugués Beto se resiente de su lesión de pubis y es baja ante el Villarreal (Portuguese Beto relapses from pubis injury and is not an option against Villarreal); Diario AS, 29 November 2008 (in Spanish)
  16. ^ Beto deja de ser jugador del Recreativo (Beto is no longer a Recreativo player); Marca, 21 August 2009 (in Spanish)
  17. ^ Official: Beto signs for Belenenses Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine; PortuGOAL, 21 August 2009
  18. ^ Belenenses recebe o Porto com plantel desfalcado (Belenenses host Porto with undermanned squad); Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, 19 January 2010 (in Portuguese)
  19. ^ Belenenses despromovido 11 anos depois (Belenenses relegated 11 years later); Diário de Notícias, 27 April 2010 (in Portuguese)
  20. ^ Ettien, Escudero, Beto, Lourenço y Tuiquinho [sic] ya están en la UD Alzira (Ettien, Escudero, Beto, Lourenço and Tiquinho are already in UD Alzira); Las Provincias, 28 January 2011 (in Spanish)
  21. ^ Beto: «Objetivo é estar na final e vencer a taça» (Beto: "The goal is to be in the final and win cup"); Record, 28 December 2011 (in Portuguese)
  22. ^ Beto abandona cargo de diretor de Relações Públicas e Internacionais (Beto leaves post of head of Public and International Relations); SAPO, 24 June 2013 (in Portuguese)
  23. ^ a b USA stun Portugal; BBC Sport, 5 June 2002
  24. ^ 2002, Coreia do Sul-Portugal. Um soco violento no Park (2002, South Korea-Portugal. A violent jab in the Park); i, 13 June 2014 (in Portuguese)
  25. ^ a b Grécia conquista a Europa (Greece conquer Europe); UEFA, 4 July 2004 (in Portuguese)
  26. ^ Portugal-Lituânia, 5–1 (crónica) (Portugal-Lithuania, 5–1 (match report)); TVI 24, 16 August 2000 (in Portuguese)
  27. ^ Sporting 1–3 CSKA Moscow; BBC Sport, 18 May 2005
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