Portugal’s goalkeeper was the hero of his team last Monday in the round of 16 against Slovenia. Before the match against Les Bleus on Friday, discover Diogo Costa, FC Porto’s goalkeeper.
Born in Switzerland
His first and last name sound very Portuguese. The Seleçao goalkeeper was born in Rothrist, in the canton of Aargau and about an hour from Bern, the Swiss capital. When he was seven, Diogo Costa’s parents returned to Portugal. “He spoke Portuguese badly and it was not easy for him to integrate”confided to L’Equipe Adilio Pinheiro, founder of the Pinheirinhos de Ringe association club where the Porto goalkeeper played. The latter even learned that Costa did not want to play in goal at first… Even if the scenario seems unlikely (but not impossible), Portugal could meet Switzerland… in the final.
Expert des penalties
Diogo Costa lit up the round of 16 match against Slovenia by stopping three penalty kicks against the first three Slovenian shooters. “Of course, we had analyzed the Slovenian shooters but the truth is that I went mostly on instinct. I did it a little differently and I did well.”admitted the Portuguese goalkeeper after the match. He also became the first goalkeeper to stop three penalties in a single session at the Euro. But the 24-year-old is not new to the sport. During the group stages of the Champions League last season, he had already been decisive with three penalties saved in three matches.
A blunder in the quarter-finals of the World Cup
The succession of the illustrious Rui Patricio (36 years old, 108 caps) had made headlines during the World Cup in Qatar. In the quarter-final against Morocco, Diogo Costa had a very bad exit in the middle of his penalty area and was overtaken by Youssef En-Nesyri who pushed the ball into the Portuguese net. At the start of the competition, the young Costa (aged 22 at the time) had almost had the ball stolen by the Ghanaian Inaki Williams, who was hiding behind him. The blunder was narrowly avoided.
Also read: Portugal-Slovenia: “I had to follow my instinct”, confides the Portuguese hero Diogo Costa after his three saved penalties
A release clause estimated at… 100 million euros
His performances do not go unnoticed. Like Donnarumma, Maignan or Courtois, Diogo Costa has an impressive release clause of 100 million euros. Coveted by many clubs abroad including Chelsea two years ago, then by Manchester United and Bayern Munich, the goalkeeper has extended his contract until 2027 with FC Porto.
Costa’s decisive save against Sesko. Lee Smith / REUTERS
“The match of his life” against Slovenia
His three saves in the penalty shootout took him to another dimension. But before that, Diogo Costa had saved his team against Slovenian striker Benjamin Šeško on a match point in the 115th minute. Without trembling, the Seleçao goalkeeper intervened to prevent the stab. “It’s probably the best match of my life, maybe the match in which I was most useful» he said after the match. His coach, Roberto Martinez, was even more complimentary. “The secret of Portugal is Diogo Costa”, greeted Roberto Martinez, the Portugal coach. “He is the best-hidden secret of European football. Today he has appeared at another level. (…) We must be very proud of him”.
