| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gilberto Galdino dos Santos | ||
| Date of birth | November 20, 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Carpina, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Ergotelis | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1994 | Grêmio Petribu | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995 | Grêmio Petribu | ||
| 1996 | Limoeirense | ||
| 1997–1998 | Recife | ||
| 1998 | San Lorenzo | ||
| 1999 | Rampla Juniors | ||
| 1999–2000 | Recife | ||
| 2000–2004 | Paços Ferreira | 119 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Beira-Mar | 31 | (6) |
| 2005–2007 | Benfica | 30 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Sion | 32 | (2) |
| 2008– | Ergotelis | 76 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 June 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Gilberto Galdino dos Santos, commonly known as Beto (born 20 November 1976 in Carpina, Pernambuco), is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Ergotelis F.C. in Greece.
A defensive midfielder, he also holds a Portuguese passport due to having spent many years in the country, where he even represented, with relative impact, S.L. Benfica.
Beto started his professional career in 1998, having unassuming stints in Argentina and Uruguay. After five years in Portugal with mid-to-bottom table first division clubs F.C. Paços de Ferreira and S.C. Beira-Mar, excelling especially in the latter, scoring a career-best six goals in 2004–05, even though the Aveiro club ranked last, he signed a three-year deal with Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the summer of 2005.[1]
Despite not being a fans' favourite, Beto was often cast in Benfica's first-team by manager Ronald Koeman: he appeared in 24 matches, playing the full 90 minutes in half of those. His greatest moment at the club happened on December 7, 2005, when the Portuguese side defeated Premier League giants Manchester United 2–1 in Lisbon, in a UEFA Champions League group stage contest, sealing their passage to the round-of-16 stage; he scored the decider at the 34' mark, netting from outside the area.[2]
Beto's second season in Benfica was less notable: with the departure of Koeman and the arrival of Fernando Santos and Kostas Katsouranis (who played in his position), Beto was relegated to the subs bench, appearing in only six matches, all as a substitute. Thus, he signed a two-year contract with Swiss club FC Sion, on 15 June 2007.
On 8 December 2008, Beto left Sion[3] and, earlier the following month, joined Greek side Ergotelis FC, on a one-year contract.[4]