Portuguese striker Beto has been one of the surprise packages in Italy this season, scoring regularly for Udinese since arriving in the country as an almost unknown from Portimonense last summer.
It has been a rapid rise for the Lisbon-native, who joined Primeira Liga side Portimonense in 2019 from third-division outfit Olímpico Montijo. Prior to that, Beto reveals he was holding down a regular job while playing amateur football at the age of 20, at which point he relied on his own belief that his future would be in football.
When rumours surfaced late last month that Sporting’s teenage forward Tiago Tomás was being lined up for a move to VFB Stuttgart, many around the German club refused to believe there was much hope in the deal materialising.
It is fair to say that more than a few eyebrows were raised when Liverpool splashed out £41 million on the signing of Diogo Jota from Wolves during the summer transfer window of 2020. Nobody was questioning the Portugal international’s ability, but a giant leap into the unknown was being taken as part of a squad at Anfield that was already well-stocked with proven attacking talent.
Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Portuguese players were responsible for over twenty goals across Europe this weekend, with several recent exports making an early impact at their new clubs. In Turkey, on-loan Benfica duo Pizzi and Chiquinho scored having arrived in the country last week, while former Sporting forward Tiago Tomás bagged a brace on his first start for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.