Berto (footballer)

Berto
Personal information
Full name Alberto Martínez Díaz
Date of birth (1962-10-27) 27 October 1962
Place of birth Lugo, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Midfielder
Youth career
Figaredo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1984 Caudal 125 (19)
1984–1999 Oviedo 447 (19)
1999–2001 Ponferradina 46 (0)
2001–2003 Águilas 1 (0)
2003–2004 Astur 32 (1)
Total 651 (39)
International career
1991 Spain 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alberto Martínez Díaz (born 27 October 1962), known as Berto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbeɾto]), is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

Born in Lugo, Galicia, Berto's career was mainly associated with Real Oviedo for which he played 15 seasons, appearing in a team-best 512 official matches.[1] He signed in 1984 from Asturias neighbours Caudal Deportivo in the lower leagues, and spent his first four years in the Segunda División, promoting to La Liga in 1988.[2]

Berto made his debut in the Spanish top flight on 3 September 1988, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Real Sociedad and scoring one of his six league goals during the campaign.[3] He only competed at that level until his departure in 1999, more often than not as a starter and captain, and added two appearances in the UEFA Cup with his main club, both in the 1991–92 edition.[4]

Berto retired from football in 2004 at the age of 41, after spells with SD Ponferradina in the Segunda División B and amateurs Águilas CF and Astur CF.[5] For his transfer to the latter, he revealed he received death threats.[6]

International career

Berto earned one cap for Spain, the occurrence taking place on 4 September 1991 as he came on as a 56th minute substitute for Manolo in a 2–1 friendly victory over Uruguay in Oviedo.[7]

Honours

Oviedo

References

  1. ↑ "Berto "Motorín" ostenta el récord de número de partidos jugados con el Oviedo" [Berto "Little Engine" holds record for number of matches played with Oviedo]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 28 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Alonso, Eduardo (21 June 2025). "37 años de 1988: el último ascenso del Real Oviedo" [37 years since 1988: Real Oviedo's last promotion]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  3. ↑ García, Víctor (4 September 1988). "1–0: El Oviedo volvió con victoria" [1–0: Oviedo returned with a win]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ↑ Fernández, Víctor (20 September 1991). "Una corta renta para el Oviedo" [Short lead for Oviedo]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Homenajean a Berto por jugar con 40 años" [Berto honoured for playing at the age of 40]. Diario de León (in Spanish). 26 October 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Berto, del Oviedo ACF, denuncia que recibió amenazas de muerte" [Berto, from Oviedo ACF, denounces having received death threats]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 13 January 2004. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Ortiz, Fabián (5 September 1991). "Tiempo de llorar, tiempo de soñar" [A time to cry, a time to dream]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "In 1985, Real Oviedo won the League Cup". Real Oviedo. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  • Berto at BDFutbol
  • Berto at National-Football-Teams.com
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