“I'm resilient. So if it's not today, it is going to be tomorrow, if not tomorrow then it is going to be the day after tomorrow… I know my moment will come.”

Beto’s moment has, indeed, arrived. After his morale-boosting goals last weekend and with his competition sidelined for weeks to come, he has the reward for his patience and perseverance - a shot at proving himself at Everton and in the Premier League.

It has not always been clear whether he would get this chance. The words this column opened with came when I sat down with the 27-year-old during the club’s Dublin training camp in pre-season. He hit the ground running in training but, as has too often been the case, his form fizzled when it came to the crunch.

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The impact was clear months later after he fell down the pecking order once again, quickly falling to a role on the periphery even in a side that was struggling for goals. The tears he shed as he walked down the Goodison Park tunnel after his stoppage time equaliser against Fulham were telling, the most emotional moment of the season so far offering an insight into his struggle.

After showing the resilience to take that opportunity he was genuinely unfortunate not to then build on it. Seven days later, Everton delivered one of their worst performances of the season in the atrocious defeat at Southampton. Beto did not start that game but almost salvaged it at the death with a sublime piece of control and a cool finish that offered a glimpse of the magic a player who is often chaotic does possess. The goal was ruled offside by the barest of margins though, and another opportunity to mount a challenge for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s starting place ebbed away.

It was one of many sliding doors moments since the forward arrived from Udinese 18 months ago. At Anfield last year he was hauled down by Ibrahima Konate with the game goalless in the second half.

The Liverpool defender somehow escaped a yellow card and the hosts eventually overwhelmed the 10-man Blues. But had Konate received the second booking most felt he deserved, Beto could have helped change the course of that match.

At Bournemouth last year, amid the depths of Everton’s desperate winless run, it was Beto who appeared to have earned his side a valuable point with a last minute equaliser. His moment was again taken away from him when, deep into added time, Seamus Coleman diverted the ball beyond Jordan Pickford to give the Cherries three points.

When he overcame the dismay of missing the penalty he won against West Ham United he had the bravery to keep going until he nodded in James Garner’s cross in front of the Gwladys Street - only for a late collapse to allow David Moyes’ Hammers to leave Goodison with three points.

Beto’s time at Everton, burdened by the £26m fee that was a product of the buy now, pay later approach the Blues had to take in order to sign back-up for Calvert-Lewin, has therefore been one of frustration.

But now he has a chance he has not yet been afforded - a clear run at making an impression. It started well, the Guinea-Bissau international showing the pace and power his rawness intensifies to score the match-winning brace against Leicester City last week. He left the pitch to a deserved ovation and celebrated at the end in front of the Gwladys Street. Just like when he scored his first league goal for Everton, the stunning conclusion of an intricate team goal at home to Newcastle United, strains of his “Ole” song rang around the Grand Old Lady.

Throughout all the setbacks his desire to improve has never been in question. Even Moyes, his new manager, can see that. The question now is, off the back of a standout display and with weeks without competition as Youssef Chermiti, Armando Broja and Calvert-Lewin deal with serious injuries, can he take it?

Moyes certainly hopes so and ahead of the FA Cup clash with Bournemouth, the Blues boss said: “He took his goals very well, the confidence must have changed from where he has been to getting the two goals. I think if you said to him you are going to score two against Leicester he would be in dreamland. He has got to try and aim to keep these levels up and be a bit cleaner in his work - all the things that the Everton supporters would say they have seen during his time here.

“He seems like a great lad, hard worker, keen to learn, keen to get better so he is going to get an opportunity at the moment.”

The work to help Beto at Finch Farm has been extensive. He is one of several players to have had one-to-one time with members of Moyes’ backroom staff this week, sessions designed to provide advice and to help the coaching team learn more about how the players feel their season is developing.

While lending support has been part of that, so too have efforts to drive up expectations - one focus in talks with Beto has been over whether he should have completed his hat-trick on Saturday.

How much Everton can get from Beto over the coming weeks will define the rest of the campaign. If he can build on last week and offer a threat then safety from relegation could be confirmed quickly. If this is another missed opportunity then a player desperate to prove himself will have to share the responsibility for the disappointment.

What is clear is that Beto wants to take advantage. A striker who screenshots the criticism he is subjected to in order to motivate himself now has the chance to seize control of his own narrative.