Jefte Betancourt’s dramatic performance helped Real Madrid crash out of the Copa del Rey.
The 32-year-old striker, currently playing for Albacete, has suddenly become one of the most talked-about players in Spanish football after scoring the decisive brace to secure a historic victory.
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While Betancor’s goal grabbed the headlines, the striker also shared an interesting story about what happened to Vinicius Junior after the game.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Feeberse, Betancol revealed that he wanted to swap shirts with the Real Madrid star even before the game started.
He explained that he asked a former teammate to help relay the request.
“Vinnie surprised me very much. I spoke to one of my teammates at Olympiacos, with whom I have a good relationship and am very close to Vinnie, and I said to him, ‘Send him a message, I’m playing against him tomorrow and ask him to give me his jersey or something’.”
“Then, coincidentally, we were in the stadium and I was talking to Raul Asensio and when we went to the dressing room there were only three of us left,” He remembers.
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Chat with Vinicius
Betancor later explained that he had a brief chat with Vinicius after the game and was impressed by the commitment the Brazilian had made.
Vinicius Jr. kept his promise. (Photo by Dennis Doyle/Getty Images)
“I talked to him briefly and he said, ‘I’ll see you later, I’ll give you the jersey, don’t worry, man.'”
“He’s a very humble guy and I think that’s something you don’t see on camera because he changes as he plays.
“I understand him and as a football player I agree with him on a lot of things because I’m equally competitive.”
The striker admits he initially doubted the swap would actually happen, especially given Real Madrid had just suffered a crushing defeat.
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But what happened next surprised him.
“After the game I thought he was going to be angry so I had to do a lot of interviews.
“I wouldn’t ask him for the jersey because I’m embarrassed; I’m a very shy person. Then my goalkeeper Raul came up to me and said, ‘Vinni came to the dressing room to see you, brought you the jersey and took your jersey because he wanted to take it from you.’
“So I’m glad because you think, ‘He remembers'” he concluded.