Alessandro Costacurta facts for kids

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Alessandro Costacurta

Costacurta in 2011

Personal information

Full name

Alessandro Costacurta

Date of birth

24 April 1966 (age 59)

Place of birth

Jerago con Orago, Italy

Height

1.83 m

Playing position

Defender

Youth career

Asso

1979–1986

AC Milan

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1986–2007

AC Milan

458

(3)

1986–1987

→ Monza (loan)

(0)

Total

488

(3)

National team

1986–1990

Italy U21

(0)

1991–1998

Italy

(2)

Teams managed

2007–2008

AC Milan (technical assistant)

2008–2009

Mantova

Honours

FIFA World Cup

Representing Italy
Runner-up	1994

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Alessandro Costacurta (born 24 April 1966) is a famous Italian former footballer. He played as a defender.

Costacurta spent over 20 years playing for AC Milan from 1986 to 2007. He also had a short loan spell at Monza. He was part of one of the best defenses in Italian and European football history. He played alongside legends like Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, and Mauro Tassotti.

He won many trophies, including 7 Serie A titles and 5 Champions League trophies. Costacurta retired from playing football at age 41 in 2007. In his last game for Milan, he scored a goal from a penalty kick. This made him the oldest goalscorer in Serie A at the time.

Costacurta was also an important player for the Italian national team in the 1990s. He played 59 games for Italy and scored 2 goals. He took part in two World Cups (1994 and 1998) and a European Championship (1996). With Italy, he reached the 1994 World Cup Final, but they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout.

Costacurta's Amazing Club Career
- Winning Trophies with Milan
- Challenges and More Success
Costacurta's International Career
How Costacurta Played
After Playing Football
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Costacurta's Amazing Club Career

Alessandro Costacurta was known as "Billy" when he was young. This nickname came from his slim build and his skill at basketball. He grew up playing in the AC Milan youth team. After a short loan to Monza in 1986–87, he returned to Milan.

He made his first Milan appearance in the Coppa Italia in 1986. His first Serie A game for Milan was in 1987. Milan won the Serie A title that season. Costacurta played a few games, learning from more experienced players.

Winning Trophies with Milan

Costacurta in 1992

The 1988–89 season was a big one for Costacurta. He started playing more often for Milan. He helped Milan win the Italian Supercup. He also won his first European Cup title. Milan beat Steaua București 4–0 in the final.

In the 1989–90 season, Costacurta won his second European Cup in a row. Milan beat Benfica 1–0 in the final. He also helped Milan win the Intercontinental Cup and the European Supercup. Costacurta scored his first ever Serie A goal that season. It was in a game against Milan's rivals, Internazionale.

By the 1990–91 season, Costacurta was a regular starter. He played as a central defender alongside Franco Baresi. With Mauro Tassotti and Paolo Maldini as full-backs, they formed one of the best defenses ever. He won his second Intercontinental Cup and European Super Cup.

Under manager Fabio Capello, Costacurta continued to be a key player. He won four more Serie A titles with Milan. Three of these were in a row from 1991 to 1994. He also won a Champions League title in 1994. Milan reached three Champions League finals in a row between 1992 and 1995. Costacurta missed the 1994 final due to a suspension.

In 1991–92, Milan won the Serie A title without losing a single game. They went 58 matches unbeaten, which was an Italian record. In 1993–94, Milan's defense was incredible. They only let in 15 goals all season, showing how strong they were.

Challenges and More Success

After 1996, Milan went through some tough times. They didn't win many trophies for a few seasons. But Costacurta, along with Maldini, kept leading the defense. In the 1998–99 season, Alberto Zaccheroni became the new manager. Costacurta remained a key player. He often played in the middle of a three-man defense. He also became Milan's vice-captain. At the end of that season, Milan won their 16th Scudetto (Serie A title). This was Costacurta's sixth league title.

Costacurta celebrating the win of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League

In 2001, Costacurta's former teammate Carlo Ancelotti became Milan's manager. Ancelotti's arrival brought a new era of success. Milan's defense was strong again with players like Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, and Cafu.

In 2002, Costacurta was 36 and thought about leaving Milan. But the team needed defenders due to injuries. So, he decided to stay and renewed his contract. Milan then won their first ever Coppa Italia trophy. They also reached the Champions League final in 2003. This was an all-Italian final against Juventus. Milan won the Champions League after a penalty shootout. This was Costacurta's fourth Champions League title.

In the 2003–04 season, Milan won the Serie A title again. Costacurta, at 37, won his seventh league title with Milan. In 2004, he was voted 50th in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, which listed the best European footballers of the past 50 years.

Milan continued to be strong, winning the Supercoppa Italiana in 2004. They reached the 2005 Champions League final against Liverpool. Milan were leading 3–0 at half-time, but Liverpool made an amazing comeback. They tied the game and won in a penalty shootout. This match is famous as "The Miracle of Istanbul."

Costacurta was going to retire after the 2005–06 season. But he decided to play for one more year at age 40. On 21 November 2006, he became the oldest player ever to play in the Champions League. He was 40 years and 211 days old. This record was later broken by Marco Ballotta.

In his final season, Costacurta won his fifth UEFA Champions League title with Milan. He announced his retirement on 7 May 2007. His last home game was on 19 May 2007, against Udinese. He scored a penalty, his first Serie A goal in 15 years! He left the field to a huge round of applause. This goal made him the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history at 41 years and 25 days.

Costacurta played 662 games for Milan. Only Franco Baresi (719) and Paolo Maldini (902) played more games for the club.

Costacurta's International Career

Costacurta played for the Italian under-21 team from 1986 to 1990. He played in two European Under-21 Championships.

He made his debut for the senior Italian national team on 13 November 1991. He became a regular starter under his former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi. Costacurta scored his first goal for Italy in 1992 against the Republic of Ireland.

Costacurta was a key defender for Italy at the 1994 World Cup. He helped Italy reach the final. He played very well in defense, especially after Franco Baresi got injured. However, he missed the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil because he was suspended. Italy lost that final on penalties.

He also played for Italy in Euro 1996. Italy was knocked out in the first round. Costacurta was again a main defender for Italy at the 1998 World Cup. He played in all five of Italy's matches. Italy was eliminated in the quarter-finals by France in a penalty shootout. Costacurta scored his penalty in the shootout. He retired from international football in 1998, having played 59 games and scored two goals for Italy.

How Costacurta Played

Many experts and players think Costacurta was one of the greatest defenders ever. He was part of some of the strongest defenses in football history at Milan. He played with amazing defenders like Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and Mauro Tassotti.

Costacurta was a very flexible defender. He could play anywhere across the backline. He mainly played as a centre-back. But he could also play as a sweeper, a full-back on either side, or even as a defensive midfielder.

He was a complete and hard-working defender. He was good at passing the ball and had a solid technique. He was known for his excellent understanding of the game. He was also very good at tackling and anticipating plays. Even though he wasn't the fastest or strongest, his smart play made him stand out. He was also a very accurate penalty taker.

Costacurta was known for his leadership and professional attitude. In 2014, Fabio Cannavaro said Costacurta was the best defender he had ever played with.

After Playing Football

After retiring as a player, Costacurta became a technical assistant for Carlo Ancelotti at Milan in 2007–08. He also earned his coaching badges.

In October 2008, Costacurta became the coach of Mantova, a team in Serie B. However, his time there was short and not very successful. He resigned in February 2009.

In 2010, he started working for Sky Italia as a football expert. He is now one of the main sports personalities on the TV channel.