*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:16, 16 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:50, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
Born in Rothrist, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland to Portuguese parents, Costa relocated to Santo Tirso at the age of 7 due to his father gaining employment at the local Toilet Duck factory there.[3] In his childhood, he played football with his cousin Vitor, with their idol being FC Porto legend Vítor Baía, whom they looked to emulate. He started playing football at a local academy AMCH Ringe, and later began going through some training sessions with Benfica, being integrated into one of their feeder club's Póvoa de Lanhoso, where he stayed for two years, standing out alongside future teammate Vitinha, before joining FC Porto's academy in 2011, following the consent of his parents.[4]
Porto
2017–2021: Youth career and reserves
Costa made his senior debut with the reserve team on 6 August 2017, in a 1–2 home loss against Gil Vicente for the LigaPro.[5] He finished the season with a further 31 appearances, helping to a seventh-place finish, and on 15 May he renewed his contract until June 2022.[6] In September, he was named the club's Newcomer of the Year;[3] late in the same year, Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas – who started for the first team – heaped praise upon him, regarding him as his "successor".[7]
Costa won the 2018–19 UEFA Youth League with Porto, defeating Chelsea 3–1 in the final in Nyon, Switzerland on 29 April.[8] Days later, after Casillas suffered a heart attack, Vaná replaced him as starting goalkeeper and Costa was called up to the bench for the final three games of the season, starting with a 4–0 win at Desportivo das Aves on 4 May.[9][10]
At the start of the 2020–21 season, Costa inherited Porto's 99 shirt, made famous by goalkeeper and club legend Vítor Baía. He remained Marchesín's backup, only appearing in one league game, and made his Champions League debut on 9 December 2020; he kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 group stage win at Olympiakos.[15][16]
2021–2023: First-choice goalkeeper and second league title
At the start of the 2021–22 season, Costa had a run as first-choice goalkeeper when Marchesín was sidelined with an injury.[17] He was September 2021's Goalkeeper of the Month, receiving 25% of the votes while Benfica's Odysseas Vlachodimos received 22%.[18] On 16 October, he agreed to a contract extension to 2026, increasing his buyout clause from €30 million to €60 million.[19] After helping Porto to an unbeaten run of sixteen consecutive league games, during which he kept eight clean sheets, he was named the league's Goalkeeper of the Month for four consecutive months from December to March 2022.[20]
He would then be part of five more victories that would seal Porto a second domestic double of the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal, after keeping a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory of O Clássico against rivals Benfica on 7 May, and 15 days later Porto 3–1 defeating Tondela in the domestic cup final.[21][22] Despite finishing the season with 15 clean sheets, the second-highest total behind Antonio Adán of Sporting CP, Costa was still named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year ahead of him.[23] He also named the Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Year, having started in 33 of 34 Porto's league matches of the season, having missed only their last match, with the title being already secured.[24]
On 4 October, Costa managed to save a penalty from Patrik Schick, and preserved a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over Bayer Leverkusen in a Champions League group stage match. In the reverse fixture against them, on 12 October, Costa managed to provide an assist to a goal from Galeno, then saved a penalty from Kerem Demirbay, and preserved a clean sheet in a 3–0 away win against Leverkusen in Germany, becoming the first goalkeeper to achieve that feat in the Champions League.[25] On 26 October, Costa saved another penalty from Noa Lang, as Porto's went on to win the game 4–0 away against Club Brugge, becoming the first goalkeeper to save three consecutive penalties in the competition's history.[26] His form throughout the club's Champions League group stage campaign, saw him help his side qualify to the round of sixteen, as group winners, following a 2–1 home win over Atlético Madrid on 1 November, amassing 43 saves, and a man of the match award, during the group stage.[27][28]
On 28 January 2023, Costa kept a clean sheet in the 2–0 final win over Sporting CP, helping Porto win their first Taça da Liga in Leiria.[29] On 22 February, in the first leg of Champions League round-of-16, Costa proved to crucial for Porto, making several crucial saves as they lost 1–0 away in the first leg, to eventual tournament runners-up Inter Milan. On 14 March, in the second leg, despite keeping a clean sheet at home, in his 100th appearance for Porto, producing several decisive saves, a 0–0 draw, prevented from advancing to the quarter-finals.[30][31][32]
On 4 June, his team won the 2023 Taça de Portugal final 2–0 against Braga, with Costa keeping another clean sheet.[33] In the league, Porto finished as runners-up, with Costa reaching 16 clean sheets goals in 33 games, contributing decisively for the club's second-best defensive record in the competition, being named for the second consecutive season the Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Year.[34]
2023–Present: Primeira Liga's most clean sheets and Club captain
Over the course of the 2023 summer transfer window, there was much speculation that Costa would leave Porto with Chelsea, and Manchester United all heavily linked with the player. Porto were adamant he would not be sold for less than his €75 million release clause, leading both clubs to pull out of the deal, due to the overall cost of the transfer with United signing André Onana instead.[35][36][37] He was also linked to a move to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, following an injury to their starting goalkeepers, but a move never materialised and he ended up staying at Porto for the upcoming season.[38][39]
In the 2023–24 season, despite a third place finish from Porto in the Primeira Liga, he ended the season with 14 clean sheets out of 34 league matches, the highest in the season. Costa also featured in the entirety of Porto's Taça de Portugal final victory over Sporting CP on 26 May, which ended 2–1.[40] Shortly after, he was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with three clubs in the Saudi Pro League interested in him, as well as Manchester City as potencial replacement for Ederson, who was linked to a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.[41][42] However, on 2 July, Porto's President André Villas-Boas confirmed that the club was not willing to sell him, as he was "one of their biggest assets".[43]
On 12 July, it was announced that Costa would become the new club captain following Pepe's retirement and Iván Marcano long-term injury, with new vice-captains being Cláudio Ramos and Fábio Cardoso.[44] On 3 August, he captained his side in the first competitive match of the season as Porto won the 2024 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira by defeating Sporting CP with a 4–3 victory, despite being down by three goals.[45] On 29 September, in a 4–0 league win against Arouca, Costa kept his 100th career clean sheet, at age of 25, in his 161st appearance for the club.[46] Despite a difficult start of the season for Porto defensively, after keeping three clean sheets in five league matches, he was named the Primeira Liga's Goalkeeper of the Month for September and October.[47]
Costa was called up for the final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[61] On 25 November, he played his first World Cup match, a 3–2 group stage win against Ghana. This made him the youngest Portuguese goalkeeper to play in a major international tournament, at age 23.[62][63] However, Costa had a difficult game, nearly costing his team's match in injury time. While setting the ball down on the pitch, Costa prepared to kick the ball out of the box, but he did not know that Ghana striker Iñaki Williams was lurking behind him, as Williams proceeded to charge forward and steal the ball, he ended up slipping while being challenged by Costa, leading Portugal's defence to clear the ball and seal the victory.[64] He still played every minute of the campaign, as they were knocked out of the tournament after losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco, where he misjudged a cross when coming for the ball, and Youssef En-Nesyri headed the only goal of the game.[65]
Despite a difficult World Cup, Costa retained his place under new manager Roberto Martínez, on the UEFA Euro 2024qualifiers, helping Portugal keep a clean sheet in the 9–0 home defeat of Luxembourg during the same phase on 11 September 2023, their biggest win in international history.[66] He finished the qualifying campaign, keeping nine clean sheets out of ten matches, only conceding two goals against Slovakia in a 3–2 home win on 13 October, with Portugal topping their qualifying group, and setting a new national team record of 10 consecutive wins.[67]
On 21 May 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[68] In the round of 16 match against Slovenia, he was awarded player of the match, as he cleared a one-to-one chance from Benjamin Šeško in the extra time, before saving all three penalties in the shootout, becoming the first ever goalkeeper in the European Championship to do so, securing his country's qualification to the quarter-finals.[69][70] Costa recalled the match by saying it was "the best match of my life, the match in which I managed to help my team the most. I had to follow my instinct, that's what I felt. I'm very happy and very excited to help the team so much".[71][72] Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals to France after losing 5–3 in another penalty shootout, with Costa failing to save any penalty.[73]
Style of play
Costa making a save during a 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage match against Uruguay, which Portugal won 2–0
Described as a "sweeper-keeper" because of his playing style, Costa is a goalkeeper distinguished by his technical skills and tactical intelligence. He possesses exceptional reflexes and reaction times, enabling him to execute difficult saves in one-on-one situations and against point-blank shots. Costa also excels in penalty situations, displaying composure and a strong sense of positioning. His effectiveness in collecting crosses further highlights his decision-making abilities and overall goalkeeping prowess.[74][75][76]
Tactically, Costa is a goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, facilitating play from the back and aiding in ball distribution. His precise short and long passes help initiate attacks and maintain possession for his team. Additionally, Costa has strong game awareness and positioning, allowing him to anticipate plays and effectively intercept crosses and aerial threats. His leadership qualities are evident on the field; he communicates well with his defensive teammates, showcasing maturity and confidence in organizing the defensive line to ensure team compactness.[74][75][76] Pedro Pereira, a goalkeeping coach who worked with Costa in Porto's youth system and B team, described him as "a very calm goalkeeper, one with real presence", and stated that "he has clarity in key moments and controls his emotions very well. He exudes security in everything he does and that transmits a sense of serenity to the team."[74]
Personal life
Costa and his wife Catarina Machado have a son born in November 2022, named Tomás Costa.[77]
^ abAlmeida, Isaura (29 April 2019). "FC Porto é campeão Europeu Sub-19" [FC Porto are Under-19 European champions]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
^Nogueira, Carlos (10 November 2019). "Dragão resolveu muitos problemas só com uma bomba" [Dragon took care of many problems with one rocket alone]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
^Lemos, Pedro (11 September 2023). "Portugal 9–0 Luxemburgo (crónica)" [Portugal 9–0 Luxembourg (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
