The most expensive goalkeeper in the world. Who came to mind when you read the previous sentence? Maybe Gianluigi Donnarumma or Ederson? Maybe Thibaut Courtois or Marc-André ter Stegen? Surprisingly, no. What’s more, it’s not even about Mick Maignan, Alison or Jan Oblak. Suddenly we are talking about Diogo Costa from Porto, who will play in the Champions League with Antwerp today.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, people were amused by a joke: “Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dmitry Kharatyan and Jack Nicholson in the movie “What the hell is Dmitry Kharatyan doing here?” The Portuguese goalkeeper in the current team of Transfermarkt’s most expensive footballers seems to play an equally unrelated role.
A symbolic composition of the most expensive players in the world.
And yet, in fact, Diogo is really cool. And four are valued even more than all the others: in addition to Costa, they are Donnarumma, Maignan and Courtois (45 million euros each). But it was the Portuguese who the portal placed at the top.
Who is Diogo Costa and what has he achieved?
Diogo is the same age as Donnarumma (both are now 24 years old), and the Italian is even six months younger. However, if Gigi debuted for Milan in 2015, Costa had to wait until the fall of 2019 for his first appearance on the Porto field.
The goalkeeper, however, was not deprived of practice: previously he constantly played for the reserve team of the “dragons” of the Portuguese second league, the youth team of the youth Champions League and the Portuguese national teams of different ages. Thus, in 2016, Costa became European under-17 champion and the best goalkeeper of his age, conceding only one goal in six games, and it was in the final against Spain. Then came the penalty shootout and it was Diogo’s save that gave him the title.
Along with Costa, other already famous footballers also triumphed: Diogo Leite (currently at Union), Diogo Dalo (Manchester United) and Rafael Leau (Milan).
The Portugal U17 team won the Euro 2016
Photo: fpf.pt
Also in 2016, 17-year-old Diogu played two games for the under-19 team; he was also listed at a higher level.
New year: new achievements. With the U19 team, Costa won the European Championship silver and broke into the symbolic team of the tournament, and with the U20 team he lost to Uruguay in the 11-meter series only in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. In 2018, Portugal with Diogo surpassed the previous achievement and already won the European Championship (yes, the tournament is held annually).
There were also successes at club level: Porto with Costa, as well as with Vitinha (now at PSG) and Fabio Vieira (Arsenal) won the 2018/2019 Youth Champions League, beating Chelsea in the final (3: 1) with Conor. Gallagher and Billy Gilmour.
In the 2019/2020 season, Diogo matured and made a full place for himself in the starting eleven during the League Cup and Portuguese Cup matches, and the following year he played for the first time in the senior Champions League.
In the summer of 2021, Costa reached the Euro Cup final with the under-21 team, joining their symbolic team. By the way, the Russian Denis Makarov was also there. After that tournament, Diogu became Porto’s main player, displacing Agustín Marquesin from the team.
Coast to Porto in 2021
Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images
The debut in the main team was also a matter of time and occurred at the end of the year. The young goalkeeper quickly convinced the coaching staff that there were no better goalkeepers than him in Portugal and earned a place in the starting eleven. Although the competition in the country is very strong: there is Anthony Lopes from Lyon, Rui Patricio from Roma, Rui Silva from Betis and José Sa from Wolverhampton.
At the 2022 World Cup, Costa played all five matches for Portugal and before that became a two-time national champion. But if before he was a substitute in the Club, now he has become one of its main heroes: he kept a clean sheet in 15 matches and was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the league.
Costa in Portugal’s squad for the 2022 World Cup
Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
The following season, Porto did not take the gold, and yet Costa was just as wonderful: he missed 15 goals without penalties, although, according to statistics, he should have committed 22. By the way, some 11-meter shots. In last year’s Champions League, Diogo set two records at once in the main European Cup, becoming the first in:
During the tournament he rejected up to three shots from the penalty spot (two from Bayer and one from Bruges), saved a penalty and provided an assist in one match, against Bayer.
Costa saves a penalty in the match against Bayer Leverkusen
Photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Diogo Costa’s strengths
Simply reflecting 11-meter kicks is one of Diogo’s main assets. Imagine, he missed his goal 11 times out of 35 attempts (31% of missed penalties)! Even Ilya Lantratov would applaud him.
Another superpower of Costa is great footwork, with both feet. He is very cool-headed and does not fear pressure, constantly waiting for his teammates in front to open up for a pass. When he plays the ball, he can be considered a full-fledged central defender, not in vain Diogu constantly runs out of the area and secures his teammates.
This is how the goalkeeper scored the goal of the game against Bayer. In the first frame, two opponents press him at once, but the goalkeeper is in no hurry and throws the ball forward at the right moment along a low trajectory, and no matter where.
Episode of the Champions League 2022/2023 Bayer – Porto match
At the same time, Diogo’s teammate, Wenderson Galeno, saw the open area and ran down the left wing. A few seconds later he scored.
Episode of the Champions League 2022/2023 Bayer – Porto match
At the same time, Costa is in perfect order and with immediate responsibilities: he has excellent reflexes (72.8% of saves at club level against, for example, 72.5% of Ederson), and he also perfectly reduces the distance and ruins the One against one. -a situation for opponents, instantly making the right decisions.
Let’s see an episode of one of the Portuguese championship matches. The rival falls on Porto’s goal. It looks like the target is open; at least get close, even shoot at the near or far corner.
An episode of one of the matches of the Portuguese Championship – 2022/2023
The footballer needed a second to handle the ball, but then Diogo appeared in front of him. The moment has passed.
An episode of one of the matches of the Portuguese Championship – 2022/2023
Costa’s wild potential has long attracted big names:
In November 2022, Manchester United approached Porto, but they did not want to let the goalkeeper go for less than a €75 million release clause; In January 2023, Bayern repeated for Manchester United. The response was the same: In June, United made another request, tried to reduce the price, and was again rejected. I had to focus my attention on André Onana; Parallel to Manchester, Chelsea joined the fight for Costa, but the Portuguese rejected the transfer of the 75 million euros required in parts, because they wanted the entire amount at once.
All three options failed, but Koshta understands that he will still have time to reach the best club: “Playing for your favorite team is happiness and honor. There is a lot of talk about my possible departure, but I have a contract until 2027,” the player said this summer.
Once upon a time, our Dmitry Alenichev shook the Portuguese top:
Do you remember Mourinho’s first European title? He built the great Porto with Alenichev
To be fair, Costa also made fatal mistakes: the biggest ones were in the 2022 World Cup matches against Ghana and Morocco. And yet his prospects are impressive; It is not in vain that experts already equate him with Donnarumma, Courtois and Maignan.
“Porto” knows what it is worth and is through the roof. However, Costa’s move to the First Division will come sooner or later, and with proper preparation in a new place, Diogo is capable of becoming the new Iker Casillas for many years to come.
Talking about him. Iker finished his game in Portugal and observed with his own eyes the evolution of young Diogo. The great goalkeeper did not hesitate to praise his young colleague in 2018: “A real star is emerging here. His last name is Costa. I think he will be an excellent goalie.”
Five years have passed and so far the legend’s prognosis has been fully fulfilled.
Portuguese football is not only of interest to Diogo Costa:
The Portuguese Super Cup is named after the spy. After being tortured in a concentration camp, he returned to football
