João Costa: “Jorge Costa pushed hardest for me to return” | OneFootball

João Costa recalled the season in which FC Porto returned to the national title and painted a deeply personal picture of the dressing room, the figures who shaped him, and the ambition that remains intact. The goalkeeper spoke about Jorge Costa’s influence, the way he tried to support teammates like Rodrigo Mora and Bednarek, and also about Diogo Costa’s future and the response their rivals may produce. Along the way, he made it clear that high standards remain the starting point and assured: “the best is always yet to come.”

Looking back on a season of collective affirmation, João Costa spoke with a sense of memory, belonging, and responsibility. The FC Porto goalkeeper looked back without casting himself in a secondary role, building a central idea throughout the conversation: at the Dragão, influence is also measured beyond the minutes spent on the pitch.

When the topic turned to Jorge Costa, the tone changed immediately. More than a memory, he emerged as a personal and club reference point, someone who, according to the keeper, was decisive in bringing him back home.

“He was one of the people who pushed hardest for me to come back here, and he had also tried to sign me more than once while he was a coach,” he said. “I spent far too little time with him at our club, and he was someone who left a mark on me. He was an idol, a club legend, someone I identified with as a Porto fan; he had FC Porto’s values at every moment, and since the irreparable loss we suffered, if there was one thing I tried to do in a way, it was to represent him by representing those values and passing on our DNA and our mystique.”

There is more than gratitude in these words. There is also a clear desire to carry on a legacy, to make daily presence a way of representing a certain way of being FC Porto.

That quieter side of the dressing room came up again when João Costa spoke about Rodrigo Mora. There, the goalkeeper replaced analysis with care, describing a bond built through routine and protection.

“I spent all my time with Rodrigo Mora and always tried to help him because of the season he had. He had come from being a major protagonist and this season… at his age, I gave him as much affection as I could, we created a unique friendship, and I’m enormously proud to see the man he is there.”

The praise goes beyond the player and points directly to the person. João Costa comes across as a source of support, someone who understood the weight of the circumstances and chose to stay close when that made the most sense.

The same pattern emerged in his conversations with Bednarek, another of the names brought to the center of the discussion. João Costa described a relationship built on questions, sharing, and context, as if the dressing room were also built around the table.

“I spent a lot of time with Bednarek; he was my partner at the table during training camps, on my left-hand side,” he explained. “A lot of the time, he asked me what the matches would be like, how difficult this stadium or that one was, what this game or that one meant for the club. He also asked me about the club’s history, and we had many conversations about that. Today we see a true Porto fan there, but I could give other examples. I made a point of supporting them and trying, in a certain way, to help them.”

The picture is revealing of leadership without an armband, grounded in the day-to-day pedagogy of daily life. João Costa suggests that the club’s identity is not passed on automatically: it is learned, handed down, and reinforced every day.

When the conversation turned to the lack of minutes, the answer stayed along the same line of calm ambition. Without hiding his desire to play more, the goalkeeper refused to reduce his role to a simple tally of appearances.

“I always ask for more minutes. That’s the same for all professionals,” he stressed. “We all want to play as much as possible, but I made my mark on the club’s history this year with the minutes I had, so of course I always want more minutes. But my continuity at the club won’t depend on having more or fewer minutes; I truly believe that the best is always yet to come. If my message, my season, and my purpose were fulfilled this year, the next one will be even better.”

The phrase carries weight and intent: João Costa claims relevance without dramatizing his competitive situation. It is a way of asserting his place and projecting the future, always from the idea of a mission accomplished, but still incomplete.

Asked about Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper preferred to praise rather than speculate. He acknowledged his teammate’s status and spoke as both a teammate and a Porto fan, without putting himself at the center of a scenario that is not his to decide.

“I know Diogo is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. I have no doubt he could attract interest from the biggest clubs in the world, but the greatest proof Porto fans can have is the amount of time he has already been here,” he acknowledged. “That doesn’t worry me. He should follow what his heart tells him and, up to today, his heart has led him to stay here. So it’s not for me to say whether Diogo should stay here or not, but as a Porto fan it is a huge source of pride that he has been here for so many years, and I want to encourage him here to stay for many more.”

The message combines realism and hope without contradiction. João Costa accepts Diogo Costa’s market value, but holds on to the emotional bond as the main argument for continuity.

Looking ahead, the euphoria of the title gave way to vigilance. João Costa rejected any reading of fragility among their opponents and placed FC Porto under even greater pressure to defend the status they have won.

“I think we also have to look closely at our own example. Who would have said, a year ago, that we would be here today talking about an FC Porto side that is champion and has the strength it has at this moment?” he analyzed. “So I don’t see fragility in our rivals. I believe they will prepare even better, just as we did this season. That can only push us to keep our guard up, never lower it. It has to lead us to maintain the ambition of wanting to be champions again. It will be even harder than this year, because our rivals will prepare even better, but I am sure we will be up to the task.”

It is a statement that brings the interview full circle: memory, mutual support, and ambition, always with their guard up. In the portrait João Costa paints of himself and the group, the title does not represent an end point; it is simply the next obligation beginning to take shape.

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