The 247th Merseyside derby is about to start today. Before the game, Everton striker Beto talked about Liverpool striker Jota who unfortunately passed away in a car accident before the season. After that tragedy, Beto, along with another Portuguese...
The 247th Merseyside derby is about to start today. Before the game, Everton striker Beto talked about Liverpool striker Jota who unfortunately passed away in a car accident before the season.
After that tragedy, Beto, along with another Portuguese player from Everton at the time, and club ambassador Snotting, went to Anfield to lay a wreath outside the field. Everton coach Moyes and his assistant Allen Irving and others also made similar remembrance moves. Although Beto said that his relationship with Jota was not very close outside the field, Jota took the initiative to contact him when he joined Everton from Udinese in 2003.
Speaking of Jota's death, Beto said: "I was at my home in Portugal on the day of the incident. I was going to Manchester that day to prepare for the team's pre-season. I was very shocked. The reason I was shocked was because Jota was a very good person. We are not friends, but you know, when you play against a Portuguese player, we usually stop and talk a few words. Players like Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandez are like this. When I joined Everton, Jota was the first person to send me a message."
"Jota sent a message and said, 'I'm happy for you, really happy for you. If there is anything in this city that needs help, feel free to tell me, I will help you.' Every time we and Liverpool After playing, I would talk a few words. We are not the best friends, but we will talk, and he is really good. I would ask him: 'Is everything okay?'"
"Jota's death is so sad, really sad. When Everton proposed to go to the (Anfield) stadium (laying a wreath), I immediately said: 'I'll go, I'll go' because he is a very, very good person. Not only because we are both Portuguese, we can understand each other, but also because he is kind and humble. You can see what everyone says about him, right? His death is really sad."
After the Hillsborough tragedy, Everton fans put the blue scarf in the Anfield stands, becoming one of the first commemorative gifts Liverpool fans received. After Jota's death, Everton Club and its fans once again brought the city together in tragic moments with appropriate actions.
When asked about his feelings about going to Anfield to remember Jota, Beto said: "It feels good. I see the cohesion between Everton and Liverpool. This cohesion does not come from between clubs, but more from the fans. Do you understand? Many Everton fans are very sad because even if Jota is an opponent, there is something more important outside of football - that is life, life is more important than football."
"I admire Everton's aspect very much. The way the deal is not only with the club, but with the fans. It's great. To be honest, I like Liverpool people very much because they are really friendly. Whether they support Liverpool team or not, they are very nice. The Liverpool people I met outside the football circle were very friendly when they didn't know I was a player. But when it comes to football, the situation is different. "
" Sometimes they 'hate' you. Actually, it's not really annoying, it's just Because you play for their opponents, they will not like you. It's normal, I can understand. Sometimes they will say, 'Betto, you're so terrible, Van Dijk will clean up you. We'll beat you, sure.' It doesn't matter. But at a critical moment, in things about life, they will show a human side, because we're all human. So for me, that's enough."
"If I go to Anfield on Saturday, they'll boo me It's normal. They don't show mercy to me just because 'Betto went to give flowers to Jota, so he's a good guy', and that's what it is on the football field. They went there for football, but the humanity in them didn't go away. So I can accept that. Of course, I will respect Jota and the Liverpool community. But like I said, it's a derby-should I have to go all out, fight for victory, score goals, and do everything I should do."
