Rui Costa
| Date of birth | 29 March 1972 |
| Place of birth | Amadora |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Weight | 74 kg |
| Height | 1.80 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
Full name is: Rui Manuel Cesar Costa.
Rui Costa is a hard-working midfield player with great acceleration who is particularly effective when bringing the ball forward out of defence.
He made his name with Benfica in the early 1990s and, after helping them to a domestic championship in 1993-94, he was sold to Fiorentina for a fee of around £5 million.
He went on to make over 200 senior appearances for the Serie A club before moving on to AC Milan in the 2001 close season.
At international level, he won his first cap against Switzerland in March 1993.
He scored Portugal's fourth goal in the 4-0 Group D win against Poland in Jeonju - their biggest winning margin ever in the World Cup finals.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | 01 Jul 1990 | 01 Jul 1994 | |
| Fiorentina | 01 Jul 1994 | 03 Jul 2001 | |
| AC Milan | 03 Jul 2001 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Europe | Representative | 1 | ||||
| 1998-99 | World XI | FIGC Centenary | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Fiorentina | UEFA Champions League | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Fiorentina | Serie A | 28 | 1 |
6 |
4
|
|
| 2000-01 | Fiorentina | UEFA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | AC Milan | Serie A | 20 | 2 |
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | AC Milan | UEFA Cup | 8 | 2 |
3 |
2
|
|
| 2002-03 | AC Milan | Serie A | 24 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2002-03 | AC Milan | UEFA Champions League | 16 | 2 |
|||
| 2003-04 | AC Milan | Serie A | 19 | 8 |
3 |
2
|
|
| 2003-04 | AC Milan | UEFA Champions League | 1 | 5 |
|||
| 2003-04 | AC Milan | UEFA Super Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | AC Milan | Serie A | 15 | 9 |
1 |
3
|
|
| 2004-05 | AC Milan | UEFA Champions League | 3 | 2 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jan 1997 | EUROPE v AFRICA | L | 1-2 | REPRESENTATIVE | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | Portugal | World Youth Cup | 4 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 1991-92 | Portugal | Toulon Under-21 | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 1991-92 | Portugal | UEFA Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1991-92 | Portugal | World Youth Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1992-93 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1992-93 | Portugal | UEFA Under-21 | 3 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 4 | 1 |
|||
| 1993-94 | Portugal | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1993-94 | Portugal | UEFA Under-21 | 4 | 2 |
|||
| 1994-95 | Portugal | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1994-95 | Portugal | UEFA European Championship | 6 | 1 |
|||
| 1995-96 | Portugal | International Friendly | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1995-96 | Portugal | UEFA European Championship | 8 | 3 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 6 | 1 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Portugal | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Portugal | International Friendly | 3 | 2 |
|||
| 1998-99 | Portugal | UEFA European Championship | 7 | 5 |
|||
| 1999-00 | Portugal | International Friendly | 5 | 2 |
|||
| 1999-00 | Portugal | UEFA European Championship | 7 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2000-01 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 7 | 1 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Portugal | International Friendly | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Portugal | FIFA World Cup | 2 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 2001-02 | Portugal | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Portugal | International Friendly | 8 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 2003-04 | Portugal | International Friendly | 11 | 2 |
|||
| 2003-04 | Portugal | UEFA European Championship | 1 | 3 |
2 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 1991 | Portugal v Argentina | W | 3-0 | World Youth Cup | Group A |
| 17 Jun 1991 | Portugal v Argentina | W | 3-0 | World Youth Cup | Group A |
| 22 Jun 1991 | Portugal v Mexico | W | 2-1 | World Youth Cup | Quarter-final |
| 26 Jun 1991 | Portugal v Australia | W | 1-0 | World Youth Cup | Semi-final |
| 30 Jun 1991 | Portugal v Brazil | W | 0-0 (4-2) | World Youth Cup | Final |
| 15 Oct 1991 | Netherlands v Portugal | D | 1-1 | UEFA U21 | Group |
| 27 May 1992 | Portugal v Scotland | W | 1-0 | Toulon Under-21 | Group B |
| 13 Oct 1992 | Scotland v Portugal | D | 0-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 23 Jan 1993 | Malta v Portugal | W | 0-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 23 Feb 1993 | Portugal v Italy | W | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 31 Mar 1993 | Switzerland v Portugal | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 28 Apr 1993 | Portugal v Scotland | W | 5-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 19 Jun 1993 | Portugal v Malta | W | 4-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 05 Sep 1993 | Estonia v Portugal | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 13 Oct 1993 | Portugal v Switzerland | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 10 Nov 1993 | Portugal v Estonia | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 17 Nov 1993 | Italy v Portugal | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 1 |
| 19 Jan 1994 | Spain v Portugal | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Mar 1994 | Poland v Portugal | W | 1-3 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 23 Mar 1994 | Portugal v Poland | W | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Quarter-final |
| 15 Apr 1994 | Portugal v Spain | W | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Semi-final |
| 20 Apr 1994 | Italy v Portugal | L | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Final |
| 07 Sep 1994 | Northern Ireland v Portugal | W | 1-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 09 Oct 1994 | Latvia v Portugal | W | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 13 Nov 1994 | Portugal v Austria | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 18 Dec 1994 | Portugal v Liechtenstein | W | 8-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 22 Feb 1995 | Netherlands v Portugal | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 1995 | Republic of Ireland v Portugal | L | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 03 Jun 1995 | Portugal v Latvia | W | 3-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 15 Aug 1995 | Liechtenstein v Portugal | W | 0-7 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 03 Sep 1995 | Portugal v Northern Ireland | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 11 Oct 1995 | Austria v Portugal | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 15 Nov 1995 | Portugal v Republic of Ireland | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 6 |
| 24 Jan 1996 | France v Portugal | L | 3-2 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Feb 1996 | Portugal v Germany | L | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 09 Jun 1996 | Denmark v Portugal | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group D |
| 14 Jun 1996 | Portugal v Turkey | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group D |
| 19 Jun 1996 | Croatia v Portugal | W | 0-3 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group D |
| 23 Jun 1996 | Portugal v Czech Republic | L | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Finals quarter-final |
| 31 Aug 1996 | Armenia v Portugal | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 05 Oct 1996 | Ukraine v Portugal | L | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 09 Oct 1996 | Albania v Portugal | W | 0-3 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 09 Nov 1996 | Portugal v Ukraine | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 14 Dec 1996 | Portugal v Germany | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 22 Jan 1997 | Portugal v France | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 1997 | Northern Ireland v Portugal | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 20 Aug 1997 | Portugal v Armenia | W | 3-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 06 Sep 1997 | Germany v Portugal | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Group 9 |
| 19 Aug 1998 | Portugal v Mozambique | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Sep 1998 | Hungary v Portugal | W | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Portugal v Romania | L | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 14 Oct 1998 | Slovakia v Portugal | W | 0-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 18 Nov 1998 | Portugal v Israel | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Feb 1999 | Portugal v Netherlands | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Mar 1999 | Portugal v Azerbaijan | W | 7-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 31 Mar 1999 | Liechtenstein v Portugal | W | 0-5 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 05 Jun 1999 | Portugal v Slovakia | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 09 Jun 1999 | Portugal v Liechtenstein | W | 8-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 18 Aug 1999 | Portugal v Andorra | W | 4-0 | International Friendly | |
| 04 Sep 1999 | Azerbaijan v Portugal | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 08 Sep 1999 | Romania v Portugal | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 10 Oct 1999 | Portugal v Hungary | W | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 7 |
| 23 Feb 2000 | Belgium v Portugal | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Portugal v Denmark | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Italy v Portugal | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 2000 | Portugal v Wales | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 2000 | Portugal v England | W | 3-2 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 17 Jun 2000 | Romania v Portugal | W | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 24 Jun 2000 | Portugal v Turkey | W | 2-0 | UEFA European Championship | Finals quarter-final |
| 28 Jun 2000 | France v Portugal | L | 2-1 | UEFA European Championship | Finals semi-final |
| 16 Aug 2000 | Portugal v Lithuania | W | 5-1 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Sep 2000 | Estonia v Portugal | W | 1-3 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 07 Oct 2000 | Portugal v Republic of Ireland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 11 Oct 2000 | Netherlands v Portugal | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 15 Nov 2000 | Portugal v Israel | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Feb 2001 | Portugal v Andorra | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 28 Mar 2001 | Portugal v Netherlands | D | 2-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Republic of Ireland v Portugal | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 06 Jun 2001 | Portugal v Cyprus | W | 6-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 15 Aug 2001 | Portugal v Moldova | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Oct 2001 | Portugal v Estonia | W | 5-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 25 May 2002 | China PR v Portugal | W | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 2002 | USA v Portugal | L | 3-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 10 Jun 2002 | Portugal v Poland | W | 4-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 07 Sep 2002 | England v Portugal | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Oct 2002 | Portugal v Tunisia | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Oct 2002 | Sweden v Portugal | W | 2-3 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Nov 2002 | Portugal v Scotland | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Italy v Portugal | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 2003 | Portugal v Brazil | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Apr 2003 | North Macedonia v Portugal | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Netherlands v Portugal | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Jun 2003 | Portugal v Paraguay | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Aug 2003 | Portugal v Kazakhstan | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Sep 2003 | Portugal v Spain | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 10 Sep 2003 | Norway v Portugal | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 11 Oct 2003 | Portugal v Albania | W | 5-3 | International Friendly | |
| 15 Nov 2003 | Portugal v Greece | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 19 Nov 2003 | Portugal v Kuwait | W | 8-0 | International Friendly | |
| 18 Feb 2004 | Portugal v England | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 31 Mar 2004 | Portugal v Italy | L | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Apr 2004 | Portugal v Sweden | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 29 May 2004 | Portugal v Luxembourg | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 2004 | Portugal v Lithuania | W | 4-1 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 2004 | Portugal v Greece | L | 1-2 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 16 Jun 2004 | Portugal v Russia | W | 2-0 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group A |
| 24 Jun 2004 | Portugal v England | W | 2-2 (6-5) | UEFA European Championship | Quarter-final |
| 04 Jul 2004 | Portugal v Greece | L | 0-1 | UEFA European Championship | Final |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.