From Thailand flight to Madrid slayer: The incredible Jefté Betancor story
How Albacete's on-loan striker turned down a life-changing move to Thailand just days before becoming Real Madrid's Copa del Rey nemesis
Just three days before becoming Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey nightmare, Jefté Betancor was meant to be boarding a plane to Thailand in a career move that would have set up five generations of his family financially.
The eleventh-hour U-turn
It’s the sort of tale that makes cup football so special. On Monday, Jefté had a ticket booked to Thailand, where Buriram United had offered him the sort of bread and honey that most footballers dream about. By Thursday night, he was celebrating a historic Copa del Rey upset against the European champions with his son Teo after scoring both goals in Albacete’s shock victory.
The deal had been agreed between three clubs across three countries:
- Olympiacos (Greece): Jefté’s parent club
- Albacete (Spain): Where he’s currently on loan
- Buriram (Thailand): Ready with a life-changing offer
Albacete had little say in the matter due to a clause in the loan agreement with Olympiacos. Everything was sorted, until a last-minute conversation with Albacete’s sporting director changed everything. The Canary Islander decided the project at Albacete meant more to him than the money.
Football’s globe-trotter
Jefté’s career reads like a backpacker’s travel journal. After struggling to make his mark in Spanish lower leagues with clubs like Vecindario, Hércules, Tenerife B and Las Palmas B, he took his talents abroad.
Austria became his first foreign adventure, where he eventually became the league’s top scorer with Sportvereinigung Ried. Romania followed, where he particularly impressed at Farul Constanța under the management of Real Madrid legend Gheorghe Hagi, bagging 16 goals.
After a brief stint in Cyprus with Pafos, Greece became his hunting ground. At Panserraikos, he scored 25 goals to become the Greek top flight’s Pichichi, earning a move to Olympiacos under José Luis Mendilibar.
Albacete renaissance
The 30-year-old has been in sparkling form since returning to Spanish football after eight years abroad. In just over 1,000 minutes for Albacete, he’s netted eight goals and provided one assist before his Copa heroics.
When the congratulatory messages flooded in from around the world after his Madrid masterclass, Jefté could reflect on a decision that proved some things in football really are more important than money. Talk about a diamond geezer!