Betinho has responded in comical fashion after bizarrely being included on Manchester United’s squad list.
The little-known Portuguese striker, full name Alberto Alves Coelho, became the talk of football social media on Tuesday afternoon after somehow being included on the latest United squad list detailed on the Premier League’s official website before their meeting with Nottingham Forest, complete with the no11 shirt.
There is obviously no shock United move afoot for Betinho, with The Athletic reporting that the club referred what was described as a “technical issue” to the top-flight, who worked to get it fixed.
Still, that has not stopped the player himself from revelling in his new-found fame via Instagram Stories, screenshotting his unexpected place on the squad list along with the caption: “Thank you Manchester United. See you soon.”
The 29-year-old also posted a picture of himself in a United shirt with the tagline: “A brincadeira esta a ficar seria,” which translates as: “The joke is getting serious”.
Betinho then hilariously altered a no7 Cristiano Ronaldo United shirt, taping over the letters to spell out his own name along with the caption: “Vive o teu sonho” - “Live your dream”.
Betinho is not a complete stranger to English football, having made just one appearance during a disappointing Championship loan spell at Brentford back during the 2014/15 campaign after impressing then Bees boss Mark Warburton during the NextGen Series.
He initially came through the youth ranks at Sporting Lisbon and has also played for Vitoria Setubal, Belenenses, Uniao Madeira and Lusitania in his home country, joining lower-league side Espinho back in 2019.
Betinho was also a regular in the youth ranks for Portugal and went on to earn four senior caps for the national side back in 2013, scoring twice.
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