Francisco José Rodrigues da CostaOIH (born 1 December 1974), known as Costinha (Portuguese pronunciation:[kɔʃˈtiɲɐ]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was also a manager.
Best known for his tackling and positioning,[3] as well as his athleticism, stamina and workrate,[4] he played for clubs in Portugal, France, Russia, Spain and Italy. He won eight trophies with Porto, including the 2004 Champions League.
Costinha joined FC Porto on a five-year deal in May 2001,[12] and made his Primeira Liga debut on 12 August aged nearly 27; he was sent off in a 1–0 loss away to Sporting.[13] He went on to be an instrumental midfield element in the northerners' two consecutive national championships.[14] On 9 March 2004, he scored against and effectively knocked out Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16;[3] Porto went on to win the title, beating his former side Monaco 3–0 in the final.[15]
Costinha was released by the Spaniards in August 2007, joining Atalanta BC of Serie A,[19] where he appeared very rarely throughout his spell – only one match, in his first season – due to serious injuries and later because he was not considered fit to play competitively, despite him having the highest salary in the first team (€700,000 per year, in a contract due to expire in June 2010). The club tried to agree a mutual termination of the contract with him, and also attempted unsuccessfully to rescind it through the Italian Football League.[4]
Costinha finished his international career with 53 caps and two goals, having been rarely called during the Euro 2008 qualifying stage.[22]
Coaching career
Director
On 23 February 2010, the 35-year-old Costinha left Atalanta by mutual consent.[23] He immediately retired, being named shortly afterwards as Sporting's director of football, succeeding the sacked Ricardo Sá Pinto, his former international teammate. On 9 February 2011, the day after an interview to Sport TV in which he criticised the club's board of directors, he was dismissed.[24]
In June 2011, in the same capacity, Costinha joined Servette FC, with the Swiss team being managed by countryman João Alves.[25] It was reported that the pair did not see eye to eye on certain issues, and in November 2011, Alves was relieved of his duties and replaced by João Carlos Pereira.[26] The team's results worsened under Pereira and in April 2012, both Pereira and Costinha were fired, with Alves being reinstated as manager;[27] Costinha reportedly contested the terms of his removal, claiming that his contract extended until June 2013.[28]
On 12 June 2013, Costinha was appointed at fellow top-tier F.C. Paços de Ferreira, who had made the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for the first time in their history; his midfield partner for Portugal and three teams, Maniche, was hired as assistant.[32] Costinha was sacked after only four months, however, due to poor results.[33]
Costinha took over at Académica de Coimbra, recently relegated from the top division, on 20 June 2016.[34] Maniche again assisted him, until leaving for personal reasons in October.[35]
Nacional
On 30 May 2017, Costinha was appointed as manager of Nacional.[36] In his first year, they were promoted back to the top tier as champions.[37]
Costinha returned to Nacional – again relegated from the main division – on 28 June 2021, on a one-year deal.[40] He left on 20 September, having achieved a win and a draw in five games.[41]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[42][2]
^Pedrosa Marques, Eduardo (6 October 2016). "Maniche rescindiu" [Maniche cut ties]. A Bola (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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