David Moyes arrived, and Beto stepped up.
Years of disappointment were washed away as the Scottish manager returned and restored Everton's feel-good factor, narrowly losing his debut against Aston Villa but since taking the club on a seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, winning four.
Beto has been brilliant, clinching five goals from his past six matches. Hailed for his "resurgence" by The Athletic's Patrick Boyland, Moyes has unlocked the powerful striker's quality and then some.
Everton manager David Moyes and Beto after the match
With the ailing Dominic Calvert-Lewin approaching the end of his contract, Beto has the chance to throw down the gauntlet and challenge Everton's 21st-century strikers for the top spot.
However, that would take some doing. Oftentimes, Romelu Lukaku was an unstoppable force at Goodison Park, and the Guinea-Bissau international would need quite the impact over the coming years to topple Wayne Rooney's legacy.
Rooney's time under Moyes at Everton
It's just not going to happen. No disrespect to Beto, but Rooney is one of the finest players of his generation, a five-time Premier League champion with Manchester United and one of the most prodigious teenagers in history when emerging at Everton.
Wayne Rooney playing for Everton
Moyes was the man who ushered him through to the senior stage. Handed his senior debut in a 2-2 Premier League draw against Tottenham Hotspur in August 2002, a 16-year-old Rooney claimed an assist for Mark Pembridge, setting the stage for the most illustrious of careers.
However, two months later the teenage sensation truly announced himself with a thunderous goal against Arsenal, his first in the Premier League. It was late, it was great and it ended the Gunners' 30-match unbeaten run.
He hit six goals across the 2002/03 campaign and settled into a more prominent role the next term, Moyes reaping the rewards of his young talent, who fired in nine goals from 26 starting appearances. His exploits piqued Sir Alex Ferguson's interest - and that was that.
In August 2004, Manchester United signed Rooney, 18, from Everton in a deal worth £27m. Ferguson hailed the transfer, calling Rooney "the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years."
wayne-rooney-man-utd-fifa-12
Moyes and his former protégé's relationship soured after the sale. The Everton manager wanted Rooney to stay put, but he was arrested by the Red Devils' approach and pushed for a departure.
The one-time Three Lions record scorer bowed out behind only Alan Shearer in the all-time Premier League scoring charts. Harry Kane has since overtaken him on both accounts but Rooney's legacy is firmly intact.
Premier League All-time Top Scorers
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Data via Premier League
He ended up returning to Everton, and finished his career with 117 Toffees appearances. However, the wide span of his prime years were played at the Theatre of Dreams, and now Moyes faces the risk of lightning striking twice with his next version of Rooney.
Clue; it's not Beto.
Moyes' new Rooney at Everton
There's just something about Moyes. He has that innate managerial gift to bring the best out of his players, giving rise to priceless self-belief.
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And though players like Beto are benefitting from this convergence, Moyes might actually find his new version of Rooney in Jarrad Branthwaite - who was already riding the crest of a personal wave before the Scottish manager arrived.
jarrad branthwaite
Everton signed Branthwaite, then 17, from Carlisle United in January 2020 for a small £1m fee, and he's proved a bona fide success.
Now 22 years old, the 6 foot 5 star has been described as an "absolute monster" of a defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, playing crucial roles in the Toffees' first-team efforts over the past two years after a loan spell in Holland with PSV Eindhoven.
Jarrad Branthwaite - Premier League Stats with Everton
Match Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Touches*
Pass completion
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Clearances*
Duels won*
Stats via Sofascore
He's operating at a high level and could now go from strength to strength with Moyes in the dugout. Everton's progress in such a short time means, hopefully, the overall level will rise and solidify, allowing Branthwaite to foster his skills without the weight of a relegation battle on his back.
A young talent who has been regarded as a "pretty special" talent from the offing, as said here by Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher, could find themselves becoming a genuine Premier League superstar with Moyes at the wheel, Branthwaite indeed following Rooney's path.
This comes with a caveat. How far down that road will Branthwaite walk?
jarrad-branthwaite-everton
Last summer, the England international, like a young Rooney, was at the centre of a transfer saga involving Manchester United, who had a vested interest in Everton's Players' Player of the Season for 2023/24 and launched a series of bids over to Merseyside.
Everton stood firm on their £75m valuation, something United were unable to match, but then Everton know their talent's worth, know he's among the top bracket of defenders.
wayne-rooney-fifa-09-man-utd
But the interest is genuine and Branthwaite may follow Rooney's footsteps down the line, with the record English league champions reportedly willing to reignite their long-standing interest.
Either way, Everton have extracted wonderful levels from this rising defensive star, and if he were to leave for Old Trafford, Moyes' side would claim hefty recompense.
Branthwaite's got the potential to become one of the leading centre-halves of his generation, and though he wasn't born in Liverpool, he's cut his teeth with Everton and now finds himself on United's radar and under Moyes' wing.
There are similarities, and though Everton could bank quite the pretty penny through his sale, maybe they'll seek to change this narrative and keep Branthwaite as the defensive nucleus over the coming years.
Everton are on the up, and if they do keep such a player, it sends a firm statement of intent to the rest of the division - and maybe even over to the rest of the continent. We can dream.
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