Gilberto Galdino dos Santos

Infobox Football biography
playername = Beto
fullname = Gilberto Galdino dos Santos
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1976|11|20
cityofbirth = Carpina
countryofbirth = Brazil
height = Height|m=1.80
position = Defensive midfielder
currentclub = FC Sion
clubnumber =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1984-1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 1999-2000 2000-2004 2004-2005 2005-2007 2007-present
clubs = Grêmio Petribu Centro Limoeirense SC Recife San Lorenzo Rampla Juniors SC Recife Paços de Ferreira SC Beira-Mar SL Benfica FC Sion
caps(goals) = 119 (4) 31 (6) 30 (0) 26 (1)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = fb|Brazil
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = August 30, 2007
ntupdate = :"For other people named "Beto", see Beto."

Gilberto Galdino dos Santos, commonly known as Beto (born 20 November 1976 in Carpina), is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for FC Sion. He holds a Portuguese passport and plays as a defensive midfielder.

Club career

After five years in Portugal with mid-to-bottom table clubs F.C. Paços de Ferreira and S.C. Beira-Mar, Beto signed a 3-year deal with Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the summer of 2005. [ [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=306811.html Beto heralds new Benfica era] ]

Despite not being a fans' favourite, Beto was often cast in Benfica's first-team by then-manager Ronald Koeman: he played in 24 matches, playing the full 90 minutes in half of those.

Beto's greatest moment at Benfica happened on December 7, 2005, when the Portuguese side defeated English Premier League giants Manchester United 2-1, in a UEFA Champions League group stage contest, sealing their passage to the round-of-16 stage. Beto scored the decider at the 34' mark. [ [http://desportugal.blogspot.com/2005/12/benfica-veneu-o-manchester-united-por.html Desportugal - Sports news blog] pt icon]

His second season in the club was less notable: with the departure of Koeman and the arrival of Fernando Santos and defensive midfielder Kostas Katsouranis, Beto was relegated to the subs bench, appearing in only 6 matches, all as a substitute. Thus, he signed a two-year contract with Swiss club FC Sion, on 15 June 2007.

International career

Beto was a member of the Brazil squad at the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup.

References

External links

* [http://www.zerozero.eu/uk/jogador.php?id=216&search=1 Stats and profile at zerozero.pt]