Beto Acosta

Alberto Martín Acosta Martínez (born 23 January 1977), more commonly known as Beto Acosta or simply Acosta, is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Penarol.

Acosta has amassed nearly 500 career league appearances and more than 150 (league) goals from the positions of striker, attacking midfielder and wingback for a variety of different clubs throughout South America.

Beto started his career at Defensor Sporting as a promising youth player, being fast-tracked into the first team and making his senior début for the club at the age of just 17. In two seasons, he scored 18 times in 30 league matches for Defensor.

He transferred to Platense Wanderers in 1997, making just 5 appearances in the domestic league, scoring twice, before joining Club Sportivo Cerrito the following year for 17,000 UYU.

He is perhaps best remembered for his time at Club Sportivo Cerrito, where he became a cult hero, scoring 96 goals in 294 league games (137 in 346 in all competitions), and captaining the club on more than 60 occasions. After leaving Cerrito, Beto suffered a dip in form which saw him be frozen out of the Uruguay national team for the first time in his career, a factor that would eventually lead him to retire from the international scene.

Beto's exploits in Brazil saw him play most notably for Clube Náutico Capibaribe, where he was reasonably successful. Beto continued to ply his trade in Brazil.

Individual

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2007