Rui Costa

gbs

June 7, 2025

Rui Manuel César Costa OIH is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club’s SAD board of directors. He was born on 29 March 1972 at Amadora, Portugal.

Costa usually played as an attacking midfielder and was particularly known for his excellent technique, playmaking ability, and eye for goal from midfield. He is regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football and one of Portugal’s best players of all time. Rui Costa prefers to play with right foot. His jersey number is 10. In 2006, Costa was part of the Portugal national under-20 team under manager Carlos Queiroz who won the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship on home soil. After a goalless draw with Brazil in the final at his club ground of the Estádio da Luz, he scored the winning penalty in the final.

In UEFA Euro 2000 qualification, Costa scored six times in home and away victories over Liechtenstein and Hungary. At the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, he assisted the last two goals by João Pinto and Nuno Gomes in a 3-2 comeback win over England in a run to the semi-finals. 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 Portugal were eliminated at the group stage in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Costa was dropped for Pinto after a shock 3-2 opening loss to the United States, but came on as a substitute in the next game and finished Capucho’s cross to conclude a 4-0 win over Poland. Costa retired from international football after the unexpected defeat to the Greeks again in the Euro 2004 final. He scored 26 goals in 94 games, making him ninth-highest capped player and seventh-highest goalscorer. He returned to Benfica, where he ended his playing career in 2008.