Rui Costa

Lore & Background

Costa usually played as an attacking midfielder and was particularly known for his excellent technique, playmaking ability, and eye for goal from midfield. He was regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football in his prime and one of Portugal's best players of all time. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 as one of the 125 greatest living football players.

In Their Own Story

The Estádio do Dragão, Porto. June 2004. The air is thick with summer heat and the roar of fifty thousand voices. Rui Costa lines up at the edge of the box, the ball at his feet, and for a moment the noise fades. He sees the gap — a sliver of space between two defenders that no one else has registered. He doesn't look up. He doesn't need to. The pass is already in his mind, a line drawn in the geometry of the pitch. He strikes it with the inside of his right foot, and the ball sails through that gap like it was always meant to be there.

The forward receives, turns, shoots. The crowd erupts. But the scoreboard tells a different story. One-nil. Greece. The final whistle is a sound Rui Costa will carry for the rest of his life — not because he failed, but because he gave everything in a tournament that belonged to Portugal, on their soil, in front of their people. He walks off the pitch, boots muddy, jersey soaked, and looks up at the stands. The applause is still there. It always is. But the silence underneath it is louder.

Reader's Guide

Costa began his youth career at Damaia Ginásio Clube at age five, then joined Benfica's youth squads. He was loaned to Fafe for his first full season. After winning the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship with Portugal, he returned to Benfica, winning the Taça de Portugal in 1993 and the Portuguese First Division title in 1993–94. He then moved to Fiorentina, winning two Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa Italiana. In 2001, he joined AC Milan for a then-club record fee, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2003, the UEFA Super Cup in 2003, and the Serie A title in 2003–04. He returned to Benfica in 2006 and played until his retirement in 2008. For Portugal, he debuted in 1993, scored 26 goals in 94 caps, and played at Euro 1996, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, and Euro 2004.

Did You Know?

• Costa scored the winning penalty in the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship final.
• He was sent off for the only time in his career in a 1998 World Cup qualifier against Germany for leaving the pitch too slowly.
• He assisted three goals in a 4–0 Champions League win at Deportivo de La Coruña in 2002, leading a commentator to call him three times better than Zinedine Zidane.
• Costa missed a penalty in the Euro 2004 quarter-final shootout against England, but Portugal still won.