Fair reward for Betis No1

Goalkeeper Antonio Doblas has signed his first professional contract with UEFA Champions League contenders Real Betis Balompié.

Able deputy
The 23-year-old has been rewarded for an excellent first season with the club, after being drafted into the first-team early in the 2004/05 season following an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Antonio Prats. Doblas was first choice for the remainder of the season, making 29 appeareances as Betis finished fourth.

Professional deal
Doblas has agreed a three-year deal with the club, with Betis placing a €18m buy-out clause on the goalkeeper. "Now I can truly say that I am a player in the Primera División and not the Tercera División as was stated on my old contract," said Doblas. "All that remains now is for me to continue working hard and maybe one day in the future I will get a pay rise."