Costinha: Biography, Facts and Career
Who is Costinha? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.
Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa (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, as well as his athleticism, stamina and workrate, he played for clubs in Portugal, France, Russia, Spain and Italy. He won eight trophies with Porto, including the 2004 Champions League. Costinha played more than 50 times with Portugal, appearing with the national team in one World Cup and two European Championships and being part of the squad that reached the final in Euro 2004. After retiring, he worked as a manager for Beira-Mar, Paços Ferreira, Académica and Nacional.
== Club career ==
=== Early career === Costinha was born in Lisbon to an Angolan father, who had immigrated to the Portuguese capital in the 1960s. A childhood Sporting CP fan, he began his career in the third division with Clube Oriental de Lisboa, A.D. Machico and C.D. Nacional.
=== Monaco === In the summer of 1997, Costinha signed a five-year contract with La Liga's Valencia CF, but backed out when manager Jorge Valdano wanted to loan him to Villarreal...
Quick facts about Costinha
- Full name: Costinha
- Born: 1974-12-01
- Nationality: Portugal
- Known as: Athlete
- Wikidata ID: Q311087
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Costinha?
Francisco José Rodrigues da Costa (born 1 December 1974), known as Costinha (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɔʃˈtiɲɐ]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
What nationality is Costinha?
Costinha is Portugal.
When was Costinha born?
Costinha was born on 1974-12-01.
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