Playing in Saturday's Merseyside derby for Everton would be something of a dream come true for Beto.
Ahead of the 243rd meeting between the local rivals this weekend, the Portugal-born striker has revealed his affection for the Blues was borne out of watching clashes between Everton and Liverpool as a youngster.
That initial bond was later strengthened by watching two of his idols - Samuel Eto'o and Romelu Lukaku - turn out for the Toffees.
"I always watched the Merseyside derbies growing up," Beto told evertonfc.com. "That is where it started.
"My all-time hero is Samuel Eto’o and I loved Romelu Lukaku so both of those guys made me want Everton to win even more.
"I would watch the derbies and say, ‘Everton can’t lose this!’, but I watched a lot of [Everton] games and still remember them now.
"The 4-0 win against Manchester City stands out and the 6-2 against Bournemouth when Lukaku scored four goals.
"For me, yes, it is a dream to have the chance to play in these games."
Growing up in Mirador, a small neighbourhood in Cascais, located approximately 30 kilometres to the west of Lisbon, Beto fell in love with football by playing with his friends on the streets.
His unconventional route to the top of the game saw him let go by Portuguese giants Benfica as a teenager, before balancing a part-time job at KFC with playing for local amateur side União de Tires.
But a move to third division side Olímpico do Montijo in 2018 kick-started a rapid rise, and, after success with top-flight club Portimonense and then Udinese in Italy's Serie A, the 25-year-old arrived at Goodison Park this summer having reached double figures for goals in each of his last four campaigns.
"It was on the streets that I first experienced football," he explained. "I played on the streets with my friends after school and during school when we could.
"For me it was really good and I have those friends still to this day - they have had a really big influence on my life.
"My school was just over the road from the club where I first started playing [União de Tires] and I had friends from school who played in the club - and I was better than them, so I didn’t understand!
"I knew if they could play football for a club then so could I. That was my first stop.
"I asked my mum to join the club and at first she said no, because it cost a lot of money and it was a commitment to go to training every week. The next year, when I was in the second year of the school, she gave in and told me that I could go. That's where it all began for me."
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