António Alberto Bastos Pimparel (born 1 May 1982), known as Beto, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He made a name for himself at Leixões before transferring to Porto in 2009, being a backup during his spell. After one season in Romania with CFR Cluj he joined Sevilla in January 2013, going on appear in 89 competitive matches and win two Europa League trophies. He also spent three years in the Turkish Süper Lig with Göztepe, after signing in 2017.
In March 2009, before 2008–09 ended, Beto agreed to a move to FC Porto, in a four-year deal worth €750.000 effective as of June.[5] During his two-season spell he acted almost exclusively as backup to Brazilian Helton,[6] being mostly restricted to Taça de Portugal appearances; on 22 May 2011, with the score at 2–2, he stopped a penalty kick in the domestic cup final, with his team eventually winning 6–2 in the Portuguese capital.[7]
Braga and Sevilla
For 2011–12, Beto was loaned to Romanian side CFR Cluj,[8] only missing seven Liga I games during the season for the eventual champions. Released by Porto he returned to his country in the following summer, signing for two years with S.C. Braga;[9] however, late into the following transfer window, he moved to Sevilla FC as the Spaniards were looking to strengthen the position following the departure of Diego López to Real Madrid – the loan was arranged until June, with the possibility of a permanent transfer afterwards.[10]
Profiting from injury to Andrés Palop, Beto made his debut with the Andalusians one day after arriving, starting in a 2–1 away loss against Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, with his team playing the last eight minutes with only nine players.[11] His first La Liga match came on 3 February 2013, in a 2–1 home win over Rayo Vallecano.[12]
Beto spent several months of 2014–15 on the sidelines, due to injury: first, a shoulder dislocation after a collision with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema,[16] followed by an ailment to his left leg.[17] After finishing the season as backup to Sergio Rico, he was reinstated by Emery for the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, performing well overall but conceding five goals in the 4–5 loss to FC Barcelona.[18]
Following the emergence of David Soria also from the club's youth system, Beto was demoted to third-choice.[19][20]
Return to Sporting
On 6 August 2016, free agent Beto signed a two-year contract with former team Sporting.[21] He made his debut in competitive games for his first club on 13 October 2016, at the age of 34 years and five months, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 away win against F.C. Famalicão in the Portuguese Cup; he dedicated the performance to his late father.[22]
Göztepe
On 29 July 2017, shortly after having expressed a desire to leave Sporting in order to have a better chance of 2018 FIFA World Cup selection,[23] Beto joined Göztepe S.K. from Turkey for an undisclosed fee.[24] After 95 official games, he left at the end of his contract in August 2020.[25]
Later years
Beto returned to Leixões on 21 September 2020.[26] He terminated his contract the following 15 March at his own request,[27] returning to the top tier the next day on a short-term deal at S.C. Farense to cover for seriously injured Rafael Defendi.[28][29]
Beto made his debut for Portugal on 10 June 2009, in a 0–0 friendly match in Estonia.[5] After finishing 2009–10 in Porto's starting 11, he was named by manager Carlos Queiroz in a provisional 24-player list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[36] making the final cut for the finals in South Africa where he did not leave the substitutes' bench. He was also an unused part of the squad at UEFA Euro 2012.[37]
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