Real Betis Balompié has officially presented today Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao. The player, who will be number ‘12’, was accompanied by the Club’s Chairman, Ángel Haro, and the Sports Director, Eduardo Macià. Damiao showed his happiness for the deal: “I’m very glad right now. This is an opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in Europe, and doing it so in a team that is highly regarded in Brazil. Brazilians have always been well treated here. I’d like to thank the Chairman and Eduardo for their efforts for me to be here today, and also all the executives that made possible to close the deal.”

Four-month contract: “I’m coming with the idea of stay here for longer. I want to prove my value during these months through goals and hard work.”

Relationship with Neymar: “He’s a good friend of mine, we played together at the Olympics. He’s a great player, he deserves all that’s going on. I didn’t have the chance to talk to him. Once my Spanish has improved and I have the opportunity, I’d like to go visit him in Barcelona.”

Self-definition: “That’s for the press to tell. I hope I can be as good as Oliveira or Diego Costa.”

Ready to play: “That’s for the manager to decide.I have to work every day to be ready as soon as possible.”

First impressions of the team and Rubén Castro: “Rubén has written his own history here. I’ve seen a team made up by fighting players, and that’s important for a team. I hope I won’t have problems to play alongside Rubén.”

Harsh negotiations: “I was calm the whole time, I was certain the deal was going to end well. I’ve been training by myself meanwhile- I knew that my agents and Eduardo would reach to an agreement.”

Why did you choose Betis?: “It’s true that I had offers from many European clubs. But when I spoke to Eduardo I decided I wanted to play for this this team. This is a team that deserves to be in a better position.”

First impressions of the city and the fans: “In the week I’ve spent here so far, the fans have been very nice to me, both through social media and walking by the streets.”

Liga BBVA: “There’s a huge difference with teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, huge clubs with loads of money, so they can sign the best players. I’m learning more about this Club every day and I’m sure that we are going to grow.”

Real Betis chairman, Ángel Haro, wanted to welcome the player: “I don’t have much to say about his career, you all know him well. He is a scorer, and comes to brings competition to the team, and that’s something good. It’s well known that the negotiation was hard, but he’s finally here. Leandro, as you could see yesterday, these fans cheer and push in every match. We are going to do everything we can for you to feel comfortable here. In return, we’ll demand work and sacrifice, by means of many goals.”

Also, the Club’s Sports Director, Eduardo Macià, analysed the assets of the player: “With Leandro, we’ve looked for a player who improves our attacking force. With this signing we want to score more goals, and this will mean more points for us. We have also brought a player who is a great professional. He’s used to the pressure that Brazilian players have. We’ve seen that he has been welcome by the rest of players.”