23 Facts About Diogo Costa

Diogo Costa was promoted from the reserve side to the first-team in 2019, winning a domestic double of the Primeira Liga and the Taca de Portugal in his first season.

Diogo Costa broke into the starting line-up in 2021, aged 22, helping Porto to a second domestic double and being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

Diogo Costa represented Portugal at various youth levels, being part of the under-17 team that won the 2016 European Championship, the under-19 team that won the 2018 European Championship and the under-21 team that finished as runners-up at the 2021 European Championship.

Diogo Costa made his senior international debut in 2021, representing Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.

Diogo Costa started playing football at a local academy AMCH Ringe, and later began going through some training sessions with Benfica, being integrated into one of their feeder club's Povoa de Lanhoso, where he stayed for two years, standing out alongside future teammate Vitinha, before joining FC Porto's academy in 2011, following the consent of his parents.

Diogo Costa finished the season with a further 31 appearances, helping to a seventh-place finish, and on 15 May he renewed his contract until June 2022.

Diogo Costa made a further two until the end of the campaign for the eventual champions, as well as all seven Taca de Portugal matches as they secured the double.

Diogo Costa named the Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Year, having started in 33 of 34 Porto's league matches of the season, having missed only their last match, with the title being already secured.

Diogo Costa was linked to a move to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, following an injury to their starting goalkeepers, but a move never materialised and he ended up staying at Porto for the upcoming season.

Diogo Costa started all of Portugal's matches in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

Diogo Costa represented the nation at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting in all the matches in a quarter-final exit.

In July 2018, Diogo Costa played four matches out of five at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Finland, helping Portugal win the tournament for the first time, but missed the final due to a muscle injury.

Diogo Costa was called up to the senior team for the first time on 26 August 2021, for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan and a friendly with Qatar.

Diogo Costa was chosen as the first-choice goalkeeper by the head coach Fernando Santos for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs, relegating usual starter Rui Patricio to the bench.

Diogo Costa was called up for the final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

However, Diogo Costa had a difficult game, nearly costing his team's match in injury time.

Diogo Costa still played every minute of the campaign, as they were knocked out of the tournament after losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco, where he misjudged a cross when coming for the ball, and Youssef En-Nesyri headed the only goal of the game.

Diogo Costa possesses exceptional reflexes and reaction times, enabling him to execute difficult saves in one-on-one situations and against point-blank shots.

Diogo Costa excels in penalty situations, displaying composure and a strong sense of positioning.

Tactically, Diogo Costa is a goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, facilitating play from the back and aiding in ball distribution.

Additionally, Diogo Costa has strong game awareness and positioning, allowing him to anticipate plays and effectively intercept crosses and aerial threats.

Diogo Costa exudes security in everything he does and that transmits a sense of serenity to the team.

Diogo Costa and his wife Catarina Machado have a son born in November 2022, named Tomas Diogo Costa.