Rui Costa

Rui Costa 2007 jersey Benfica

Rui Manuel César Costa [' ʀui ' manuɛɫ ' sezar ' cɔʃta ] ( born March 29, 1972 in Amadora ) is a former Portuguese football player.

First used in the defense, he soon played as an attacking midfielder. In the national team he was, together with Luís Figo of Portugal for the golden generation.

Today, he works in the athletic line of Benfica.

Career

Association

At the age of five years, Costa began when Damaia Ginásio Clube with the indoor soccer. At the age of ten he played a trial at Benfica. This was supervised by Portugal Fußballegende Eusébio, which was already impressed by the skills Costas. Subsequently, he was included in the football boarding Benfica, where he played until 1990. In his first season in the men's field, he was loaned to the AD Fafe to play matches. When unterklassigen club he performed well and was a regular player. In 1991, he joined then finally to the senior squad by Benfica, where he remained until 1994. With Benfica he won the national cup competition in 1993 and 1994 national championship. In summer 1994, Fiorentina offered € 6 million for the young midfielder. Benfica, then fraught with financial problems, agreed to the change and let Costa move to Italy. Seven years Costa played for Fiorentina, where he was twice win the Italian Cup competition (1996, 2001). During this time he has been honored several times as the best ten in Italy. He was always associated with other associations with powerful performance, the ACF remained always faithful. Only when Florence had to register for the 2001/02 season insolvency to Costa decided for a change. Coach at the time, Florence was Fatih Terim. As of this summer 2001, he moved to AC Milan, he took with Costa. For Milan Costa was the most expensive transfer of the club's history. A total of € 42 million were transferred to Florence. The Rossoneri Costa had probably his erfolgreicheste time. In five years there he won once each, the Italian Cup, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, the, the UEFA Champions League and the European Super Cup. In the first two years Costa was undisputed in the midfield, but thereafter moved more and more into the shadows of the Brazilian wunderkind Kaká. From then on, Costa was mostly back on the bench and it was often the role of the spectator.

On 25 May 2006, announced that Costa will switch back to his hometown club Benfica. Both clubs and players agreed on a change for the new season. On May 11, 2008 he played his last professional football game against Vitória Setúbal. He then announced his retirement.

National

Since he ( just convened only in the national squad ) at the Junior World Cup scored the winning penalty in the final against Brazil in 1991 and Portugal thus became Junior World Champion, he was regarded in his homeland as a national hero. This cup win and the first two years previously -won title (still without Costa) in the youth field, was the birth of the golden generation of Portugal. Many fans were hoping for in the coming years great success in the men's area. To a track never made the golden generation, however.

He was called up for the first time in the Portuguese national football team in 1993. After the European Championships in 2004, he announced his retirement from the national team. For the European Football Championship 1996, Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup, Costa was nominated.

Achievements / Title

As a national player

Junior World Champion: 1991
European Championship runner-up: 2004

With its clubs

Portuguese Cup winner: 1993
Portuguese champions: 1994
Italian Super Cup winner: 1996
Italian Cup Winners' Cup: 1996, 2001, 2003
Champions League winner: 2003
European Supercup winner: 2003
Italian Champion: 2004

Awards

UEFA Euro All-Star Team: 1996, 2000
FIFA 100
Order of Infante Dom Henrique: 2004

S.L. Benfica A.C. Milan Penalty kick Folk hero 2003–04 Serie A Order of Prince Henry

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