When Beto arrived at Everton from Udinese last summer, there was excitement but also skepticism. A towering 6ft 4in striker with a reputation for relentless pressing and raw power, his start at Goodison Park was anything but smooth.
The Portuguese forward struggled to find consistency early on, but under new manager David Moyes, he has finally started to hit his stride, delivering performances that show why Everton invested £25.75 million in him.
And as Everton fans have begun to take a liking to their No. 14, one supporter has crafted a digital poster that is nothing short of brilliant. A creative masterpiece that merges Beto’s past with his present. The poster has not only captivated Evertonians but has also sparked a wave of admiration across football Twitter.
A creative masterpiece, the poster takes inspiration from an unlikely source—KFC.
At the heart of the design is an incredibly clever acronym swap—KFC becomes EFC, Everton F.C, and the KFC seamlessly ties to Beto’s backstory, long before he arrived at Merseyside.
Before breaking into professional football, Beto worked at a KFC in Portugal while playing in the lower leagues, grinding his way up from the fourth tier to the Premier League. He worked at the fast food chain while playing for Uniao de Tires in Lisbon.
Beto also talks about his memories from that time of his life: “When I return home, I always go to that KFC restaurant to visit my friends.” He added: “I don’t eat a lot of fried chicken, but it was a nice experience.
Coming back to the poster, the famous red-and-white color scheme of the fast food giant is swapped for Everton’s blue-and-white, fitting perfectly.
If the color change and acronym pun weren’t impressive enough, the designer, @Thebluedoodler, has woven in an even more subtle stroke of genius.
In KFC’s traditional branding and logo, Colonel Sanders’ iconic necktie is a distinct and subtle feature. The necktie in black extends below Sanders’ white beard. But in this Everton-themed version, the tie has been replaced with a silhouette of Beto performing his signature Silencer celebration—made popular by NBA legend LeBron James.
Beto’s celebration, which he first pulled out after scoring a brace against Leicester City, sees him bring his knees up and pump down, almost as if breaking something on his knee.
Instead of Sanders’ necktie, the replacement are a pair of hands and legs with one knee of Beto up, depicting him performing the celebration.
As expected for a creative design like this, fan reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. “Terry ive seen this pop a few times today on my timeline and not once did i notice it. Genius stuff it really is,” said one user crediting the repost for helping it spread further onto the algorithm.
“Hadn’t even noticed that last detail. That’s genius, get it made,” said another fan, hinting at it becoming a tifo.
“Some people can definitely take this the wrong way but if u know that backstory its class,” said one fan while another added “I kid you not, mate. This is simply brilliant.”
