Costinha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Costinha

Costinha in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1974-12-01) 1 December 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Lisbon, Portugal
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1987–1993	Oriental
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–1995	Oriental	32	(3)
1995–1996	Machico	30	(5)
1996–1997	Nacional	30	(4)
1997–2001	Monaco	84	(3)
2001–2005	Porto	109	(13)
2005–2006	Dynamo Moscow	10	(0)
2006–2007	Atlético Madrid	24	(0)
2007–2010	Atalanta	1	(0)
Total		320	(28)
National team
1998–2006	Portugal	53	(2)
Teams managed
2013	Beira-Mar
2013	Paços Ferreira
2016–2017	Académica
2017–2019	Nacional
2021	Nacional
Honours Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship 2004 Portugal Bronze 2000 Belgium-Netherlands
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa OIH (born 1 December 1974), known as Costinha (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɔʃˈtiɲɐ]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's defense. After his playing days, he also became a manager (coach).

Costinha was known for his strong tackling and smart positioning on the field. He was also very athletic and had great stamina. He played for many clubs in Portugal, France, Russia, Spain, and Italy. He won eight major trophies with Porto, including the famous UEFA Champions League in 2004.

He played over 50 games for the Portuguese national team. He represented his country in one World Cup and two European Championships. He was part of the team that reached the final of Euro 2004. After retiring from playing, Costinha coached several teams, including Beira-Mar, Paços Ferreira, Académica, and Nacional.

Costinha's Football Journey

Playing Career Highlights

Costinha was born in Lisbon, Portugal. His father was from Angola. As a child, he was a fan of Sporting CP. He started his football career in Portugal's third division. He played for clubs like Clube Oriental de Lisboa, A.D. Machico, and C.D. Nacional.

Shining at Monaco

In 1997, Costinha moved to France to play for AS Monaco FC. He quickly became an important player for the team. In the 1999–2000 season, he helped Monaco win the Ligue 1 championship. He was part of a strong team that even beat Manchester United in the Champions League in 1998. They won that match because of the away goals rule, which means the team that scores more goals away from home wins if the total score is tied.

Porto's Golden Era

Costinha joined FC Porto in 2001. He quickly became a key player in their midfield. He helped Porto win the Portuguese league title two years in a row. A very famous moment was on 9 March 2004. He scored a goal against Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16. This goal helped Porto knock out Manchester United. Porto then went on to win the Champions League title that year, beating his old team Monaco 3-0 in the final.

Later Club Adventures

After his success at Porto, Costinha moved to FC Dynamo Moscow in Russia in 2005. He then played for Atlético Madrid in Spain in 2006. In August 2007, he joined Atalanta BC in Italy. However, he didn't play much there because of injuries. He eventually left Atalanta in 2010.

International Matches for Portugal

Costinha made his first appearance for the Portuguese national team on 14 October 1998. It was a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2000 against Slovakia. He scored an important goal against Romania in the Euro 2000 tournament.

He also played in Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup, he was one of four players who received a red card in a tough match against the Netherlands. A red card means a player has to leave the game. He finished his international career with 53 appearances, also known as "caps," and two goals for Portugal.

From Player to Manager

Starting as a Director

After retiring from playing in 2010, Costinha became the director of football for Sporting CP. This role involves managing the football side of the club, like player transfers. He later took on a similar role at Servette FC in Switzerland.

First Steps as a Coach

Costinha became a manager (coach) for the first time in 2013, leading S.C. Beira-Mar. He then coached F.C. Paços de Ferreira in the same year. His former Portugal teammate, Maniche, was his assistant coach there. In 2016, he became the manager of Académica de Coimbra.

Coaching Nacional

On 30 May 2017, Costinha was appointed manager of C.D. Nacional. In his first season, he led them to win the league title and get promoted back to the top division. He left the club a year later after they were relegated again. He returned to Nacional in June 2021 for a short period.

Career Numbers

Club Statistics

International Statistics

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Costinha goal.

List of international goals scored by Costinha

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	17 June 2000	GelreDome, Arnhem, Netherlands	Romania	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2000
2	7 September 2002	Villa Park, Birmingham, England	England	1–1	1–1	Friendly

Managerial Statistics

Trophies and Awards

As a Player

Monaco

• Ligue 1: 1999–2000
• Trophée des Champions: 1997, 2000

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2002–03, 2003–04
• Taça de Portugal: 2002–03
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003, 2004
• UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
• UEFA Cup: 2002–03
• Intercontinental Cup: 2004

Portugal

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2004

As a Manager

Nacional

• LigaPro: 2017–18

Special Recognition

• Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)

See also

In Spanish: Costinha para niños