“I’m resilient. So if it’s not today, it is going to be tomorrow, if not tomorrow then it is going to be the day after tomorrow… I know my moment will come.”
Beto’s moment has, indeed, arrived. After his morale-boosting goals last weekend and with his competition sidelined for weeks to come, he has the reward for his patience and perseverance – a shot at proving himself at Everton and in the Premier League.
It has not always been clear whether he would get this chance. The words this column opened with came when I sat down with the 27-year-old during the club’s Dublin training camp in pre-season. He hit the ground running in training but, as has too often been the case, his form fizzled when it came to the crunch.
The impact was clear months later after he fell down the pecking order once again, quickly falling to a role on the periphery even in a side that was struggling for goals. The tears he shed as he walked down the Goodison Park tunnel after his stoppage time equaliser against Fulham were telling, the most emotional moment of the season so far offering an insight into his struggle.
After showing the resilience to take that opportunity he was genuinely unfortunate not to then build on it. Seven days later, Everton delivered one of their worst performances of the season in the atrocious defeat at Southampton. Beto did not start that game but almost salvaged it at the death with a sublime piece of control and a cool finish that offered a glimpse of the magic a player who is often chaotic does possess. The goal was ruled offside by the barest of margins though, and another opportunity to mount a challenge for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s starting place ebbed away.
It was one of many sliding doors moments since the forward arrived from Udinese 18 months ago. At Anfield last year he was hauled down by Ibrahima Konate with the game goalless in the second half.
