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Free Interview Episode - Udinese & Portugal Striker Beto (Ep. 280)
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The Italian Football Podcast interviews Udinese and Portugal striker Beto on everything from working in KFC to playing in Serie A and dreams of one day playing in the Champions League and much more.
Every Monday as well as all interview episodes of The Italian Football Podcast are free for all.
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Transcript
Introduction to Beto
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another interview episode of the Italian Football Podcast. I'm Carlo Garganese. And on today's show, we are delighted to welcome onto the show one of the best strikers in Serie A and a striker who who I believe is is only going to get better and better. Together with Gera Delafeyo, he forms one of the best strike partnerships in Serie A. He is, of course, Udenez's Portuguese striker Beto.
00:00:34
Speaker
Beto, thank you, thank you so much for coming onto the show. How are you doing? Thank you, thank you. I'm doing good, I'm doing great. I'm happy to be here with you guys and let's start it.
00:00:51
Speaker
Hi Beto, this is Nima and thanks again for joining us. Right, so let's start at the
Beto's Serie A Journey
00:00:56
Speaker
beginning. You joined Udinece from Portimones in the summer of 2021. How have you enjoyed your first 18 months in Udine and Italy? It was amazing. If I tell you guys, for me it was amazing. Different league, different players, different atmosphere.
00:01:19
Speaker
and big stadiums, a lot of supporters. For me, it was an amazing 18 months for sure. Odeoneze, I have had an amazing start to the season and you guys were top of the Serie A during the first couple of months of the opening of the season. What do you think was the secret to that fantastic start? What are the team's objectives this season?
Udinese's Strong Start
00:01:47
Speaker
The secret is,
00:01:48
Speaker
that we are more a team now than last year, but we work hard and a lot of guys here, we want to improve. So I think that is the secret that we have the competition. So if you want to play, you must work harder and that brings competition. Competition gives results and that's how it is.
00:02:16
Speaker
And what's the team's objective this season? Team's objective? We have the objective to go game by game. We don't take too much forward. We just want to win the next game. Now the next game is assembly and that's our focus.
Performance Reflections
00:02:37
Speaker
You yourself are having a great season as well. Your minutes per goal until recently was a third best in Europe behind only Holland and Mbappe. And only one player in the Serie A has more non-penalty goals this season, and that's Napoli's Victor Osman. Are you happy with your performances, and have you set yourself a target for the season in terms of how many goals you want to score?
00:03:04
Speaker
If I tell you that I'm not happy, you'll be surprised, but it's okay. For the numbers, of course I'm happy. It's always good to be between the top of strikers in the world, but my performances, I'm not too happy with my performances. I think, I know I can do better and I can improve and play better, so
00:03:29
Speaker
That's why I'm telling you that I'm not happy, but for numbers and the statistics, I'm very happy. It's normal. And I have a target, but it's personal for me. I don't tell no one. I leave it for me, for myself to enjoy and bring competition between me and me.
00:03:54
Speaker
Just like this. That's great. As Carlos said at the start, together with Gerard de la Feo, who we've also interviewed on the show last season, you formed one of the best attacks in the Serie A over the last 18 months.
Partnership with Deulofeu
00:04:08
Speaker
How much do you enjoy playing with de la Feo? And what do you think makes him such a special player to play with? For me, it's tough because where I came from,
00:04:21
Speaker
I came and played with this big player for me. It's an amazing experience. I learned a lot from him. Sometimes he tells me better when I have the ball here.
00:04:34
Speaker
Don't go, stay, give me support. And he told me sometimes, this time when I'm in the ball here, just go, I will put you on the ball. For me, it's amazing to train with him, to see how he works in gym, physio, on the beach. It's amazing. He's an amazing teammate. And we are working so good. And we want more. Who's faster? You or Telefeo? Me.
00:05:09
Speaker
We asked him as well. He said, you said you were definitely faster.
Rising Stars at Udinese
00:05:13
Speaker
OK, there's a couple of other young players who I want to ask you about. First of all, Lazar Samadzic, who he was considered a wonder kid when he was in Germany, and he was wanted by teams like Barcelona, like Juve, Juventus a few years ago. And now he's obviously at Udenezer. And I really like him, what I've seen of him. And how much potential do you think Samadzic has?
00:05:32
Speaker
No question, no question, no question.
00:05:40
Speaker
He has a lot of potential. For me, if he keeps going like this,
00:05:53
Speaker
You'll be the one kid that everybody expects to be because it's amazing how we touch the ball is different. Sometimes I joke with these guys. I said, if you give me just 10% of your technique, I will be a big player. But this guy have a left foot there. It surprised me a lot. Sometimes you do things on the training. The goals that he did in Serie A, you see is a different guy.
00:06:20
Speaker
I like him a lot. He has a lot to prove and to show you guys.
00:06:25
Speaker
Because for me, sure, we are really in the training. Yeah, well, I think you've got lots of technique as well. I think you're being very modest. And another player, even younger, Simone Pafundi, who's 16 years old. And last month, he became the youngest player in 100 years to play for Italy. And he's been called by some big tag. He's been called by some of the Italian Messi. I mean, tell us, how exciting is Pafundi? He's very young, of course.
00:06:56
Speaker
No, he started to see Sipa Fundi grow up, to see Sipa Fundi improve. But he is a really calm guy, he don't let nothing go under his mind, so he's very calm, stabilized, and he plays like... For me, he's a good, good player, nice, nice potential. So, when he grew up,
00:07:24
Speaker
We will see him. Yeah, we certainly will. And you said before about your thinking of your next game, always your next game. Well, your next game actually is West Ham on this Saturday. Have you followed any of West Ham's matches this season? Any of their players that you admire, like maybe Shkamaka, for example? Of Shkamaka, I play against him for me. He's a good striker, a big striker for me. Personally, I like him a lot.
00:07:54
Speaker
But I like Drexel Reis, now he's a World Cup, but I like Zuma since the time of Chelsea, I like him a lot. He will be a good matchup. But I like the team, they are a good team, a team with heart and will be a good test for us.
00:08:15
Speaker
Yeah, Zuma will be two strong guys playing against each other. Good to see.
Beto's Football Journey
00:08:21
Speaker
I just want to talk a little bit about your journey to becoming a professional footballer, because it's an amazing story. I read that you were released as a teenager by Ben Fika. And then, if I read correctly, you worked in KFC for a year. Is that correct? Yeah, I was released with English Fika,
00:08:45
Speaker
11, 12. I played the 2011 job, then I was released. But a few years after I work, I finish the school and I don't want to go to the university. I told my mom, I'm going to work because I need to pay my drive license. Because if I wait my mom, I will never have my drive license. So to have my drive license and to help her,
00:09:14
Speaker
at home, I go to, I work in KFC, but for me, it's not everybody see this like, wow, we work in KFC, but I'm not a wonder kid. So I know my life is not all football. Now is all everything football. But before, no, we, my friends also work
00:09:42
Speaker
We worked together, some friends worked together. And for me it was a blessing to see how it is to be on the other side. So now I'm here. I'm grateful to be here, but for me it wasn't a sacrifice to work and play football. I was happy.
00:10:08
Speaker
Yeah. Well, you were happy. That's the most important thing. What was your exact job at KFC? I was a tender. I was in the front, speak with the clients and everything. When the months passed, they put me to do everything all around. I do the chicken and everything. What was your favorite food, your favorite meal at KFC?
00:10:39
Speaker
and it's a box master. It's like a wrap with everything inside. I eat that every day. And you're still healthy, you're still becoming great footballer.
00:10:53
Speaker
When you were working at KFC, you said that, you know, it was no big deal for you. It's just you're just normal person. And now you appreciate it. Did you did you think then that your chances of being professional was over? Or were you not thinking? No, for me, for me was was like,
00:11:12
Speaker
A temporary thing because my objective was football. My first objective was the first and only objective always was football. I never had the second objective, second goal to be precise. I just wanted to help my mom and get my driver's license, but I knew that I'm going to be professional.
00:11:38
Speaker
I didn't know that I will be here now, but I know I will be professional. So that goal never set you for me. Yeah, that's great. And when you were a kid, obviously you must have loved football when you were younger, did you have a favourite team or a favourite player?
Personal Inspirations and Ambitions
00:11:58
Speaker
When I was a kid I didn't watch a lot of international football, so my favourite team was being FIFA.
00:12:06
Speaker
was Befica, my favourite player. It was number one and only Samuel Eto. Amazing player, amazing player. Yes, she certainly is. Moving forward a little bit and looking at the future, what are your ambitions for the future? Do you want to play, for example, in the Champions League, for Portugal, etc., etc.?
00:12:33
Speaker
Yeah, it's my objective to play Champions League. I think it's objective from everybody here in the locker room. So I'm just one more guy with ambition to play Champions League, to play among the big players, the first big players to get another type of game, another type of rhythm and everything. So yeah, it's objective.
00:13:02
Speaker
And what would you say are your three best qualities as a player? And is there an area of your game that you want to improve? My three best qualities, I think it's effort, learn a possibility, I think it's like this. And my physical strength, yeah.
00:13:31
Speaker
What I have to improve, I think, is my intelligence of the game. Technically, for sure. I have more, but I don't remember.
00:13:53
Speaker
Well, we think you're fantastic. You were called up by the Portugal national team squad in October for the pre-squad for the World Cup. I mean, what are your emotions? Were you happy to make that squad or maybe a little bit sad because eventually you didn't make it to the final squad at the World Cup? No, I was happy. If I tell you, I was happy. Because it's not normal where I came from.
00:14:23
Speaker
somebody gets called for the pre-list of the national team. So I was happy. Everybody told me why, why, that you didn't know what everybody said. But for me, it's just a message that I want. I must work a little bit more and improve, do my job. That's it.
00:14:48
Speaker
I wasn't said if I tell you the truth. Yeah, that's good. What are your thoughts on how Portugal are doing in the World Cup? I'm recording this today on Tuesday. Portugal are playing against Switzerland a few hours after we record this. So by the time everybody listens to this, that game is probably over. But I mean, what's your thoughts on Portugal in this World Cup? Are you happy the way they're playing? Do you think they can go far? They are doing good.
00:15:18
Speaker
But they can do better because they have the quality, the players, the sub players. So I think they are doing good. They pass. That was the objective. But now they will face a good team, an intelligent team. But I think they're going to pass because
00:15:43
Speaker
They have everything to beat Switzerland and go to the next round. As Carlos said when we're recording this is before when Spain play Morocco and Portugal play Switzerland. And if Portugal win that game against Switzerland, they could play Spain. If that were to happen, do you think, what's your prediction for that game? Because I've predicted that before the tournament that Portugal are going to the final.
00:16:11
Speaker
and they're going to play Argentina in the final. It's going to be a messy Cristiano final. So what do you think about that? Do you think Portugal can get to the final? Or do you think they can go past Spain if they beat Switzerland, of course? I think Portugal is a team very difficult to beat. Sometimes they play good, sometimes they play bad. They don't win, but they don't lose. It's difficult to beat Portugal.
00:16:40
Speaker
It's very, very difficult with Portugal if they play with the strong team, if I tell you. And against Spain, against France, against everybody, I believe they can go to the final two. If they play game by game and they are not thinking about Spain, they are thinking about Switzerland, that's a more important thing.
00:17:06
Speaker
If they go game by game, I think it's a possibility, big possibility they go to the final. Your parents are from Guinea in Africa. Would you consider playing for the Guinean national team or is it your ambition to play for Portugal?
International Dilemma
00:17:24
Speaker
No, this is a mix of emotions, you know, because my thing with Portugal is more a statement for my people,
00:17:37
Speaker
my friends, my hood. And play for Guinea Bissau is more like, I was born in Portugal, so the play is more like for my cousins, my grandmother, and my mom, my dad. It's more like this, so I'm really, I think, divided. So I'm thinking, I'm doing what's bad for me,
00:18:07
Speaker
And we'll see. Have you been to Guinea? Yeah, I've been there three years before. Okay, nice. So just before we finish off with a game, thank you very much for your time again. Just away from football, what other hobbies do you have away from playing football?
Life Off the Pitch
00:18:33
Speaker
I sleep too much. I sleep. I play PlayStation. I play Call of Duty. I watch series. It's like this. I don't like to, when I'm in competition, I don't like to go out and do something. I prefer being home. I play PlayStation, play with my Portuguese friends and everything. We talk a lot every day. It's like this, my life.
00:18:57
Speaker
I have a boring life, but for me... Nothing's better than sleep. Sleep is the best. Sleep is the best. Sleep is the best. You said you watched series. What series are you watching at the moment, like on Netflix or any other series? Now I'm watching only Vikings.
00:19:18
Speaker
Oh Vikings, okay. I'm going to finish Vikings and I decided to watch Game of Thrones because everybody talks about Game of Thrones like it's the best series I must watch. Yeah, no, Game of Thrones is great. Vikings, I interviewed Roberto Pereira, your teammates.
00:19:38
Speaker
few years ago. And he told me Vikings was his favorite, his favorite show as well. So that's this. Yeah. I don't know if he told you to watch that. Okay. And finally, if you could pick five people dead or alive to come to your house for a party, who would you, who would you invite? Who would you bring with you? I will bring Josebio. I will bring Mohammed Ali. Yeah.
00:20:07
Speaker
I will bring Kevin Garnett. I will bring Ray Lewis from NFL Ravens. And I will bring Samuel Eto. Hopefully he's in a better mood than yesterday. I don't know if you saw that he had a bit of a... with a photographer. I didn't saw it. They told me, they told me, but I didn't saw it. I didn't saw it.
00:20:31
Speaker
Based on that, do you support a team in the NBA and NFL and which teams are they? No, I don't support teams. I support the players and the way the players play. That's why I like Kevin Garnett because he's an effortless guy and Ray Lewis from NFL is the same. They are not too much talented, so they must
00:21:01
Speaker
have something different and there is effort. That's why I like them. That's why I follow them.
00:21:09
Speaker
Okay, and just before we let you go, we play a rapid fire game with all our guests and how it works is I give you two or three options or ask you a question and then you give me one of those answers, one word answer.
Quickfire Questions
00:21:22
Speaker
You don't need to explain if you don't need to, okay? Okay. So the first one, fairly simple, I think everyone in the world has been asked this question. Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?
00:21:39
Speaker
Brilliant. Diego Maradona or Pele? Pele, because he's my type of guy. KFC or McDonald's? McDonald's. No, I eat too much KFC, sorry. Kylian Mbappe or Arling Horland?
00:22:05
Speaker
Mbappe, Mbappe, Mbappe. Who's the best striker in Serie A for you, other than yourself, obviously? Immobule. You have Immobule, you have G-Wu. I don't know why. I like G-Wu, but the way Immobule plays, Immobule knows the series. Ozimel is there, you know?
00:22:34
Speaker
But Immobulate feed, Immobulate score every single season, 25 goals, every single season. It's not normal for me. It's very, very intelligent guy in order to play in this series. But now the big boss is Ozzy Man. In the big boss. Who do you think will win the Scretto this season?
Serie A Predictions
00:23:00
Speaker
I wanted to be with Inez, but I'm going to see.
00:23:03
Speaker
But I must give Napoli the victory because they are a really good team. Very strong, strong team. Difficult to play against. I can imagine. And finally, the final question.
Conclusion and Farewells
00:23:22
Speaker
Pineapple on pizza. Food heaven or food hell? It's just food I eat.
00:23:32
Speaker
Pineapple, you know, pineapple I eat. You'll be okay in England. If you ever moved to England, I'm in London. If you ever come to England, the food is not the best in England. So if you ever come to Premier League, you'll be okay.
00:23:52
Speaker
OK, OK. Thank you for that advice. Beto, thank you so much for coming on to the show. We wish you all the best for the future, and we think you're going right to the top. Everyone else, thank you for listening. We'll be back on Monday. Ciao, ciao. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, Beto. Thank you. Brilliant. All the best. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Ciao. Have a good Christmas. Ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao.