Beto (footballer, born 1998)
Footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal (born 31 January 1998), known as Beto, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Fiorentina. Born in Portugal, he represents Guinea-Bissau at international level.
_(Beto).jpg)
|
Beto with Everton in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 January 1998[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fiorentina | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2011 | União Tires | ||
| 2011–2012 | Benfica | ||
| 2012–2013 | União Tires | ||
| 2013–2014 | Oeiras | ||
| 2014–2015 | União Tires | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | União Tires | 25 | (4) |
| 2018–2019 | Olímpico Montijo | 34 | (21) |
| 2019–2022 | Portimonense | 44 | (13) |
| 2021–2022 | → Udinese (loan) | 28 | (11) |
| 2022–2023 | Udinese | 34 | (10) |
| 2023–2026 | Everton | 99 | (20) |
| 2026– | Fiorentina | 5 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Guinea-Bissau | 12 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:03, 18 October 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:09, 29 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Early years
Born in Lisbon of Bissau-Guinean descent, Beto started his senior career with amateurs União de Tires in the Lisbon Football Association, while working at KFC.[2] In 2018 he signed with Olímpico do Montijo of the third division, finishing second in the scoring charts in his only season with 21 goals.[3][4]
Portimonense
Beto moved straight to the Primeira Liga on 3 June 2019, joining Portimonense on a four-year contract.[5] He made his debut in the competition on 9 August, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute in a 0–0 home draw against B-SAD.[6] He finished the campaign with a further ten league appearances, all from the bench.[7]
Beto scored his first goal in the Portuguese top division on 8 November 2020, but in a 3–1 away loss to Porto.[8] He added ten more during the season, best in the squad.[9]
Udinese
On the last day of the 2021 summer transfer window, Beto was transferred to Italian club Udinese on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.[10] He scored four times in his first ten Serie A appearances, helping his team earn six points in the process.[11]
Beto scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 home win over Cagliari on 3 April 2022.[12]
Everton
On 29 August 2023, Beto joined Premier League club Everton on a four-year deal for a reported fee of around £25.8 million (€30 million).[13][14] The following day, he made his debut and scored his first goal for the Toffees in a 2–1 victory at Doncaster Rovers in the second round of the EFL Cup.[15] His league bow took place on 2 September, when he featured the entire 2–2 draw away to Sheffield United.[16]
Beto scored his first goal in the league on 7 December 2023, closing the 3–0 win over Newcastle United at Goodison Park after playing the last minutes in place of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.[17] Twelve days later, he equalised 1–1 against Fulham in the League Cup quarter-finals and later converted his penalty shootout attempt, but the opposition advanced with a 7–6 victory.[18]
As Calvert-Lewin was sidelined with a thigh injury, Beto enjoyed a run in the team as starter and made the most of it.[19][7] On 12 February 2025, he put Everton ahead 1–0 in the 11th minute of the Merseyside derby against Liverpool, in an eventual 2–2 home draw.[20][21]
On 21 March 2026, Beto scored twice in a 3–0 home defeat of Chelsea, also providing an assist for Iliman Ndiaye.[22] During his spell, he netted 25 times in 113 competitive games.[23]
Fiorentina
Beto returned to the Italian top division on 1 September 2026, on a contract at Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee reported to be €18 million.[24][25] He made his debut four days later, as a substitute in the 2–1 home loss against Torino.[26]
International career
In October 2022, Beto was named in a preliminary Portugal 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[27] Two years later, he accepted an offer from Guinea-Bissau manager Luís Boa Morte to represent their national team.[28] He won his first cap on 11 October, in a 1–0 away loss to Mali for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[29] He scored his first goal on 19 November, equalising an eventual 2–1 home defeat against Mozambique in the same stage.[30]
Personal life
Beto idolised Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o as a child, and signed his name as "Beto'o". He named Beethoven's Ninth as his music to listen to before training.[2][31]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 October 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| União Tires | 2015–16[32] | Lisbon Football Association | 6 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17[32] | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18[32] | 19 | 3 | — | — | 19 | 3 | ||||
| Olímpico Montijo | 2018–19[32] | Campeonato de Portugal | 34 | 21 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 21 | |
| Portimonense | 2019–20[33] | Primeira Liga | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020–21[33] | Primeira Liga | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 11 | ||
| 2021–22[33] | Primeira Liga | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
| Total | 44 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 13 | ||
| Udinese (loan) | 2021–22[33] | Serie A | 28 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 11 | |
| Udinese | 2022–23[33] | Serie A | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 10 | |
| 2023–24[33] | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | ||
| Total | 62 | 21 | 3 | 1 | — | 65 | 22 | |||
| Everton | 2023–24[33] | Premier League | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 5 |
| 2024–25[33] | Premier League | 30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 10 | |
| 2025–26[33] | Premier League | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 10 | |
| 2026–27[33] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 99 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 113 | 25 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2026–27[33] | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 269 | 79 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 292 | 85 | ||
- Includes Taça de Portugal, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
- Includes Taça da Liga, EFL Cup
International
- As of match played 29 September 2026[32]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea-Bissau | 2024 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Guinea-Bissau's goal tally first.[32]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2024 | Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau |  Mozambique | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Honours
Individual
- Primeira Liga Goal of the Season: 2020–21[34]
