Costinha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Costinha

Costinha in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa
Date of birth	(1974-12-01) 1 December 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	Lisbon, Portugal
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	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)
International career
1998–2006	Portugal	53	(2)
Managerial career
2013	Beira-Mar
2013	Paços Ferreira
2016–2017	Académica
2017–2019	Nacional
2021	Nacional
Medal record Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship 2004 Portugal Bronze 2000 Belgium-Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa (born on December 1, 1974), known as Costinha, is a former professional footballer from Portugal. He played as a defensive midfielder, a player who helps protect the defense. After his playing career, he also became a manager for several teams.

Costinha was known for his strong tackles, good positioning, and amazing energy on the field. 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 also played more than 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 managed teams like Beira-Mar, Paços Ferreira, Académica, and Nacional.

Costinha's Club Career Highlights

Starting Out: Early Football Journey

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

Playing for AS Monaco in France

In 1997, Costinha signed a five-year contract with La Liga's Valencia CF. However, he changed his mind when the manager wanted to loan him to another team. He then joined the French club AS Monaco FC. After his first season, he became a key player for Monaco. He helped them win the Ligue 1 championship in the 1999–2000 season. He was also part of the Monaco team that beat Manchester United in the Champions League in 1998.

Success with FC Porto

Costinha joined FC Porto in May 2001. He made his debut in Portugal's top league, the Primeira Liga, when he was almost 27 years old. He quickly became a very important midfielder for Porto. He helped them win two national championships in a row.

A memorable moment was on March 9, 2004. He scored a goal against Manchester United in the Champions League. This goal helped Porto knock out Manchester United from the competition. Porto then went on to win the Champions League title that year. They beat his old team, Monaco, 3–0 in the final.

Later Years in Football

After a successful time at Porto, Costinha moved to FC Dynamo Moscow in Russia in May 2005. He played there for a year. Then, in 2006, he joined Atlético Madrid in Spain. He stayed with them for one season.

In August 2007, Costinha moved to Atalanta BC in Italy. He played very few matches there because of injuries. He eventually left Atalanta in February 2010.

Costinha's International Career

Costinha first played for the Portuguese national team on October 14, 1998. This was during a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2000 against Slovakia. He came into the game as a substitute. He was chosen to play in the main Euro 2000 tournament. There, he scored a goal in the final minutes against Romania.

He also played for Portugal in Euro 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup, during a match against the Netherlands, he was one of four players sent off the field. This game was famously called the "Battle of Nuremberg."

Costinha played a total of 53 games for Portugal and scored two goals. He stopped playing for the national team after 2006.

Costinha's Coaching and Director Roles

Starting as a Director

After leaving Atalanta in 2010, Costinha retired from playing football. Soon after, he became the director of football for Sporting CP. This role involves managing the club's football operations. However, he was dismissed in February 2011 after he criticized the club's board.

In June 2011, Costinha took on a similar role at Servette FC in Switzerland. He worked with fellow Portuguese coach João Alves. They had some disagreements, and both Costinha and the new manager were later fired in April 2012.

Managing Teams in Portugal

Costinha became a football manager for S.C. Beira-Mar in Portugal on February 18, 2013. His first game as manager was a loss. He left the club in May after they were moved down to a lower league.

On June 12, 2013, Costinha was appointed manager of F.C. Paços de Ferreira. This team had qualified for the Champions League qualifying rounds for the first time. His former teammate, Maniche, joined him as an assistant coach. However, Costinha was sacked after only four months because of poor results.

Costinha then took over Académica de Coimbra on June 20, 2016. This team had recently been moved down from the top division. Maniche again assisted him for a while.

Leading C.D. Nacional

On May 30, 2017, Costinha became the manager of C.D. Nacional. In his first year, he led them to win their league and get promoted back to the top division.

He left Nacional a year later by mutual agreement. This was because the team was moved down to a lower league again. A tough moment during this time was a 10–0 loss against S.L. Benfica in February 2019.

Costinha returned to Nacional on June 28, 2021, for another year. The team had been moved down from the main division again. He left on September 20, 2021, after a few games.

Costinha's Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Here's a look at Costinha's playing record for different clubs:

International Appearances and Goals

This table shows how many games Costinha played and goals he scored for Portugal:

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

Costinha's Managerial Statistics

This table shows Costinha's record as a football manager:

Costinha's Football Honours and Awards

As a Player

Monaco

• Ligue 1: 1999–2000 (French League Champion)
• Trophée des Champions: 1997, 2000 (French Super Cup Winner)

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2002–03, 2003–04 (Portuguese League Champion)
• Taça de Portugal: 2002–03 (Portuguese Cup Winner)
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003, 2004 (Portuguese Super Cup Winner)
• UEFA Champions League: 2003–04 (European Champions League Winner)
• UEFA Cup: 2002–03 (European UEFA Cup Winner)
• Intercontinental Cup: 2004 (World Club Champion)

Portugal National Team

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2004 (Second Place in European Championship)

As a Manager

Nacional

• LigaPro: 2017–18 (Portuguese Second Division Champion)

Special Awards

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

See also

In Spanish: Costinha para niños