As Barcelona prepare to take on Albacete in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, one of the names drawing the most attention is Jefte Betancor.
The striker spoke at length about the upcoming tie in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
Betancor was the man who made headlines last month when Albacete pulled off a historic upset by eliminating Real Madrid from the competition.
The forward scored the decisive goal that night and added a second strike that suddenly pushed him into the national spotlight.
Reflecting on that defining moment, Betancor was asked how often he still revisits the goal that sent Madrid crashing out.
With a smile, he admitted, “I still see it today, because videos of the goal and that day keep popping up on my social media feeds.”
Facing Barcelona
Following that famous win, Albacete were drawn against Barcelona, setting up another daunting test.
When asked whether he had secretly hoped for Barça in the draw, Betancor did not hide his true feelings. Speaking candidly about the moment, he said,
“We all said that it didn’t matter which team we got and that we had to enjoy it. Personally, I didn’t want Barça because I’m not stupid.”
Una animalada de partido 🏆😁#AúpaAlba pic.twitter.com/FJ5y2mVWEQ
— Albacete Balompié 🤍 (@AlbaceteBPSAD) February 1, 2026
Then, Betancor was quick to acknowledge Barcelona’s current level and momentum under Hansi Flick.
When pressed on Barcelona’s strength, he said, “All teams are strong, but Barça is in great form. Right now, they’re one of the best teams in the world, if not the best.”
Praise for Pedri
The forward was then asked what it would realistically take for Albacete to repeat their heroics and eliminate Barcelona as well.
Betancor explained, “We have to play a perfect game and hope that Barça doesn’t have a good day. Then we’d have a chance.
“Even if they don’t have a good day, Barça still has a lot of quality. But if we’re well connected, as we have been, we’ll have our chances.”
In a lighter moment during the interview, Betancor was given a hypothetical scenario – removing one Barcelona player from the starting line-up.
Laughing, he initially replied, “He’s already been removed.”
When pressed further and asked directly about Pedri, he did not hesitate.
“Yes, of course. Pedri is on another level in all aspects of the game. But if I could remove another, I would say Raphinha or Lewandowski,” he said.