Everton striker Beto has insisted he has no regrets about turning down Portugal to instead pledge his international allegiance to Guinea.
Record cover comments from the Everton striker today in which he admits he’s delighted with his choice and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Beto had previously rejected call-ups from Guinea, the country where his parents were born, as he eyed a potential call-up for Portugal instead. He was eligible for them after being born in Lisbon.
The attacker changed that stance in October last year, though, finally accepting Guinea’s attempts to get him and pledging his allegiance to them instead.
He now has four international appearances to his name, making his debut against Mali in October in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying before adding to that with another appearance against them four days later, and then Eswatini and Mozambique in November. He bagged his first international goal in the latter.
Some have questioned his decision to represent the African nation, with his form under David Moyes over the past two months potentially having put him in contention for the Portuguese national team as well.
The Everton striker has no such concerns, though, and admits he’s delighted with his choice every single day.
“I’m very, very, very happy to be playing for Guinea,” he said.
“There are always those questions like ‘you could play for Portugal these days’. I know I could, but I feel like I can make a difference in Guinea. In the games we play here in the Premier League, just having children and families carrying Guinea-Bissau flags… For me, I’ve won.
“I’ve managed to get the country’s name into the Premier League. For me, that’s a good thing. And there, I can help a lot of people and inspire a lot of people.
“It was the best choice I’ve made in recent years, and I don’t think I would go back. If I could change it, unfortunately for a lot of people, I wouldn’t.”
