Beto was a guest on Udinese Tonight on Monday. Here’s what he had to say about life in Udine and the team’s form at present, including his stunning hat-trick in the rout of Cagliari.
“It was difficult to sleep after the Cagliari game. I was so pleased with the goals that I scored. I couldn’t stop watching it back.
“My first call after the game was from my mum. She was so pleased for me. She always watches my matches with the family.
“We needed that sort of performance. It was a match that we really wanted to win and we managed it. We performed at a high level and didn’t get disheartened when they scored, going on to win the game.
“After scoring the first goal, I went over to celebrate with the fans in the Curva Nord because they’ve never forgotten about me. I hadn’t scored in a few games, but they’ve always given me strength. I wanted to share getting back on the scoresheet with them.
“I did have two or three tough weeks when I wasn’t scoring because I felt I had an obligation to get goals. Gabriele Cioffi’s words have been key in this period. I spoke to him and my team-mates and they said I shouldn’t purely focus on scoring goals, but on my overall game. The break helped me improve and come back stronger.
“I feel at home in Udine. I haven’t visited much of Friuli yet but I do enjoy walking around the city centre. In my free time, I sleep, play, speak to my friends in Portugal and cook. My team-mates tell me I’m an old man on the inside.
“I don’t have a favourite team-mate and I get on well with everyone. I know that I need to play in a certain way if I’m playing with [Gerard] Deulofeu and in a different way if I’m playing with [Nacho] Pussetto. I have to connect with whoever I’m playing alongside.
“We need to keep working hard to achieve our goal by the end of the season, which is safety. On a personal level, I want to ensure I don’t get injured.”