Diogo Costa nears record with 19 clean sheets in all competitions | OneFootball

One of the main trademarks of FC Porto under the guidance of Francesco Farioli is, without a doubt, the remarkable defensive cohesion displayed throughout the current season; in the league, the team stands as the least beaten defense, with only seven goals conceded in 22 matches.

Bednarek, Kiwior, Alberto Costa, Martim Fernandes, and Thiago Silva are the pillars of this performance, but there is one name that stands out even more: Diogo Costa. The goalkeeper has been crucial in keeping the goal sealed, as he proved with a spectacular save at Choupana, when the game was still tied, preventing Nacional from taking the lead.

Leaving Madeira without conceding, the captain of the blues and whites equaled his record of clean sheets in a Portuguese League edition – 16 – the same total he reached in 2022/2023, a season when FC Porto was coached by Sérgio Conceição.

In the 2025/2026 season, the Portuguese international kept FC Porto's goal inviolable against V. Guimarães (twice), Gil Vicente (twice), Casa Pia, Nacional da Madeira (twice), Rio Ave, Arouca, Benfica, Famalicão, Estoril, Tondela, Alverca, Aves SAD – a match in which he left injured at halftime after the first half – and Santa Clara.

It is almost certain that this personal record will be surpassed before the end of the season, as there are 12 league matches left to play, and the record could fall as soon as next Sunday, in the home match against Rio Ave, a team going through a results crisis, without victories in the last five games.

The importance of Diogo Costa goes beyond the 16 clean sheets in the league: he also remained unbeaten against Salzburg and Nice (Europa League matches) and against Benfica (Portuguese Cup), contributing to three significant victories in these competitions.

In total, the international, who recently renewed with the dragons and became one of the highest-paid players in Portugal, has 19 matches without conceding goals for FC Porto – an impressive feat that highlights the consistency of a goalkeeper crucial in the fight for points throughout the league. Additionally, there were two more matches without conceding goals in the Portuguese Cup, against Celoricense (4-0) and Sintrense (3-0), where Cláudio Ramos was the starter, as part of the goal rotation applied by Francesco Farioli in this initial phase of the competition; against Benfica, Diogo Costa returned to the goal.

Diogo Costa conceded goals in the league only against Sporting (twice), Moreirense, SC Braga, Estrela da Amadora, and Casa Pia – a very positive record for a player who adds a lot to the defensive sector of a team notoriously compact at the back.

Diogo Costa has displayed a high level in the main national competition and will very likely be one of Portugal's figures in the World Cup this summer, where he could further increase his value and potentially attract the interest of a major European club. It is worth noting that his release clause was reduced in the renewal process, from 75 million euros to 60 million euros.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.