The Soccer Touch

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Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH (born 29 March 1972) is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica. Renowned for his fine technique and his excellent passing, he’s now considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in FIFA 100, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.

At the end of his third season in Benfica’s senior squad, Fiorentina offered 1200 million escudos (about €6 million) for the young midfielder, an impressive fee at the time. Since Benfica was struggling with financial problems, Rui Costa had to leave.

Despite the heavy competition with the best midfielders in that time such as Zinedine Zidane, Costa was named the best number 10 player in the Serie A a few times. His departure from Fiorentina was discussed every season, since many clubs constantly showed interest in signing him. However, he only left when Fiorentina went bankrupt after the 2001-02 season.

Fatih Terim was the coach of Fiorentina in the 2000-01 season. When he was leaving Fiorentina for Milan, he took Costa with him, paying a reported £30 million for the player. In doing so, Costa became Milan’s most expensive transfer of all-time. Costa played five seasons in Milan, where he won one Serie A title, one Italian Cup, one Italian Super Cup, one UEFA Champions League, and one European Super Cup.

In 2003, Brazilian youngster Kaká joined the ranks at Milan and relegated Costa to the bench. Though pleased with Kaká’s success, he was disappointed to be restricted to the bench in the twilight of his career.

In 2004, Costa played his last match for the Portuguese squad at the UEFA Euro 2004 final, when Portugal lost to underdogs Greece 1-0 in what was considered a titanic upset.

On 25 May 2006, Costa’s return to Benfica to play for the forthcoming season was announced in a press conference. He had been released from Milan after both the player and the club reached an agreement to end his contract. Costa also gave up his €4.6 million per year contract to play in the club that, year after year, had dreamt of his return. Costa’s affection for Benfica is publicly known and so is his desire to end his career at the Portuguese club. On 11 May 2008, Costa played his last game for Benfica against Vitória de Setúbal before announcing his retirement from football.

On the following day, Costa was presented as the new leader of the football department, hiring Quique Sánchez Flores as the new manager of Benfica and being responsible for the formation of the team in the next season.

During the 2008 Summer transfer window, Costa was able — already as Director of Football — to sign a few well-known players, such as Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar and bringing in Spanish left-winger José Antonio Reyes and Honduran striker David Suazo in on loan, thus gaining general praise from both board and fans alike.

On the following Summer, Costa further increased his efforts to build a solid Benfica team, with such signings as Argentinean striker Javier Saviola, Brazilian centre midfielder Ramires and Spanish defensive midfielder Javi García, along with experienced Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus. This effort was rewarded with Benfica’s victory in the Portuguese League.

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