Jefté Betancor, the canary who thrashes under Hagi's orders

Without hoarding covers or creating high expectations. This is how it landed Jephthah Betancor (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1993) in Romania in 2018. After two successful seasons in Switzerland, the Canarian striker embarked on an adventure that has placed him on the wish list of clubs around the world. After scoring 10 goals and performing at a spectacular level with the Voluntari shirt, Jefté was showered with offers. Israel, Spain, Poland, Greece … The canary, however, strangely enough, decided to continue in Romania. The Farul ConstantaAs a result of the union between Viitorul – managed by Gheorghe Popescu and owned by Gheorghe Hagi – and FC Farul knocked on his door, he didn't think twice: “I decided on Farul because he is committed to playing football well and seeks that their players find opportunities in bigger clubs. Besides, the manager is Hagi and that caught my attention, “admits Jefté in AS.

He came in as a complete stranger, but Jefté Betancor is already one of the most recognized footballers in Romania. The canary is currently the top scorer in League 1 and, although he has a contract with Farul until 2023, there are many who dream of acquiring the forward with a past in Tenerife or UD Las Palmas. “When he played in Spain he was not focused,” Jefté responds when asked what he lacked to succeed at home. “If I had had the head that I have now and had played with the confidence with which I now go out onto the field, I'm sure I would have made my debut with Las Palmas,” adds the Palmense. That, however, is now part of the past. Now, at 28 years old, Jefté Betancor is going through the best moment of his career. He has scored eight goals in 10 games and does not set limits: “The truth is that I expected to score goals, but not eight in 10 games. There are quite a few. I think I'm doing well and I don't want to stop. I don't want to be obsessed with scoring, but I know that if I keep working the same they will get there.”

In Constanta, Jefté Betancor feels at home – “here is a beach and that drives us a lot” – and that is reflected in his football. The one from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria believes that, saving the distances, his style of play is similar to that of Benzema. “He is a world star and I am not, but it is true that, like him, I do not like to always be in the area. I need to be in contact with the ball and not wait for centers. I have always been a forward, but I love to play on the left. I'll play where the coach tells me. ” A coach who is none other than Gheorghe Hagi, who during his career as a player wore the shirts of, among others, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Jefté Betancor did not see him short, but his father and grandfather have been in charge of telling him that “he was a joy to be a footballer.” “Few people can play in Madrid and Barça and he was in both. That means something,” adds Jefté, who defines Hagi as a “football madman”: “I like having him as a coach. He loves football and lives it. like the most. Off the field he is super calm, but in training and games he transforms “.

It was precisely Hagi who insisted on the signing of Jefté by Farul: “Before signing I had a conversation with him. He convinced me. He told me that the team had many young people, but that they were very good footballers. And he was not wrong.” The canary would not mind swelling the sales list of the Constanta club, which has already received a good amount from players such as Razvan Marin, who signed for Standard de Liège in exchange for five million euros, or Ianis Hagi, to whom the same quantity led to Genk in 2019: “I have a hunch: if I continue like this, good deals could come in December.” Jefté would not dislike paying the debt that he has pending with Spanish football, but he believes that “it is not worth it”: “It is losing money. I work to earn as much money as possible and secure the future of my family. And abroad I am earning more than I would be entering in Spain. I'm 28 years old and maybe I'll play until I'm 33 or 34. The more I can get out, the better. “