By Zach Lowy
Real Madrid have won eight Champions League titles, Sevilla have secured seven Europa League titles, Barcelona have claimed four Champions League titles, Atlético Madrid have added three Europa League titles, whilst Valencia and Villarreal have also lifted the Europa League title in the new millennium. However, one team that hasn’t managed to get their hands on continental silverware is Real Betis.
Since taking charge in 2020, Manuel Pellegrini has transformed Betis from a relegation battler to a team that regularly finishes between fifth and seventh in the table and that qualifies for Europe, but he hasn’t quite managed to find the same success at the international level.
Betis lost in the Europa League Round of 16 to Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester United in 2022 and 2023 before finishing third in their Europa League group and exiting the UEFA Conference League knockout round playoffs at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb. This season, however, Betis have managed to finally put together a deep run and reach the first European semifinal in the club’s 118-year history. But if they are to become the first Spanish team to reach a Conference League Final, they’ll need a big second leg performance in Florence from Johnny Cardoso.
Born in Denville Township, New Jersey – a half-hour from where next year’s World Cup Final will take place – Cardoso’s Brazilian parents brought him to Brazil when he was just three months old. Cardoso made a name for himself in the Brasileirão for Internacional, prompting then United States national team manager Gregg Berhalter to give him his international debut and eventually eliciting the interest of Real Betis, who signed him for €6 million in January 2024. Despite not having a full preseason to settle into European football, Cardoso swiftly adjusted to life in Spain and emerged as a vital cog in the Verdiblancos’ midfield – he was even named the LaLiga U23 Player of the Month for February 2024.
Cardoso had big shoes to fill, with club icons Andrés Guardado and Guido Rodríguez departing Betis in January and August 2024, respectively, but he’s nevertheless managed to surpass expectations and assert himself as an indispensable figure in the centre of the pitch. Typically operating alongside Pablo Fornals in the double pivot of Pellegrini’s 4-2-3-1, Cardoso is tasked with using his physicality and positional awareness to bully opponents off the ball, going from pressing high up the pitch to tracking back and making last-ditch tackles when required, as well as recycling the ball from the goalkeeper or centre backs and spreading into the final third.
“Betis play quite an expansive, open style of football, with their wingers positioned wide and with at least four players completely committed to attacking, but what Cardoso does is ensure that when they lose the ball, they’ll be defensively sound,” stated Fooball España editor Ruairidh Barlow. “He’s one of those players who you notice his impact way more when he’s not on the pitch as opposed to when he’s on the pitch.”
“He’s neat and tidy in possession, his reading of the game is good, but one thing that stands out is his ability to rob the ball high up the pitch – he’s always in the right place to either win it back or slow down the opposition attack. Cardoso’s main skills are his ball-winning, his positioning, and his overall ability to cover ground and make life difficult for the opposition. But over the past year, we’ve increasingly seen how good a footballer he is. His touch is good, he rarely loses the ball, and he makes good decisions in the middle of the pitch…as a defensive midfielder, he’s essential to Real Betis.”
Whilst Cardoso may not have the captivating dribbling skills of Isco or the ferocious shooting ability of Cédric Bakambu, he’s nevertheless emerged as one of the first names on Pellegrini’s team sheet thanks to his willingness to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty in midfield. Cardoso is the third-highest rated Betis player in the 2024/25 LaLiga season per FotMob, whilst he also leads the team with 2.1 interceptions per 90.
Over in the Conference League, meanwhile, he sits atop their squad for possession won in midfield per 90 (4.9) and ranks second for total interceptions (15). He’s someone who constantly has his head on a swivel and never lets his guard down from kick-off to the final whistle, and he has proven instrumental for a Betis side that, after previously struggling to find their footing, are finally clicking on all cylinders during the home stretch of the campaign.
Let’s rewind back to February 8. Betis had only barely qualified for the Conference League knockout round playoffs after finishing 15th; they recently had suffered a humbling 5-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, and they sat 11th in the LaLiga standings after taking just four points from their last five matches. It seemed that, after a prosperous five years for Pellegrini, his cycle was drawing to a close. Instead, Betis have gradually started to hit their stride and emerge as one of the most in-form teams on the continent.
Whereas other teams’ deep European runs have often taken a toll on their domestic efforts, this has had the opposite effect on Betis. They have ascended to sixth place thanks to a red-hot run of form that has seen them drop just four points in their last 11 league matches (a 1-1 draw to Barcelona and a 2-1 loss to Villarreal) whilst they’ve also managed to brush past Gent, Vitória and Jagiellonia Białystok en route to the Conference League semifinals.
Facing off against Fiorentina – runners-up in 2023 and 2024 – Betis prevailed 2-1 at home thanks in large part to a composed display from Cardoso, who made four recoveries, won three out of five ground duels, and completed 40 out of 41 passes. He was then given a well-deserved rest at the weekend, as Betis escaped with a 2-1 victory at Espanyol courtesy of late goals from Giovani Lo Celso and Manchester United loanee Antony. If Betis can eliminate Fiorentina, they will likely face Chelsea, who thrashed Djurgårdens 4-1 last week, in the final in Wrocław, Poland on May 28.
At 23 years of age, Cardoso has cemented his status as one of the most promising defensive midfielders in the game, and it should come as little surprise that both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring him as a potential signing. Tottenham secured a €25 million purchase option on Cardoso as part of the deal to bring Lo Celso to Betis, whilst United have eyed him as a long-term replacement for Casemiro. United’s potential showdown with Tottenham in the Europa League Final in Bilbao could very well determine the future of the Brazilian-American midfielder, with the winner qualifying for the Champions League and the loser missing out on Europe entirely.
All signs point to Cardoso following in the footsteps of Chadi Riad and Álex Moreno and becoming the latest player to depart the Estadio Benito Villamarín for a lucrative transfer fee. But first, he’ll be looking to ride off into the sunset by delivering a first-ever European trophy to Real Betis.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every Real Betis game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
