Jorge Costa’s former assistant admits: “I didn’t have the courage…” | OneFootball

Marco Leite knows Jorge Costa like few others: he was his assistant coach for 15 years, and together they led AVS to the I Liga in the 2023/24 season, before Jorge accepted an invitation to join FC Porto's structure from André Villas-Boas.

In an extensive interview with this Thursday's edition of the newspaper O Jogo, the current assistant to Miguel Moita at Marítimo commented on this choice: “Jorge returned to FC Porto in the best way, with a promotion to the division by AVS and the feeling of a job well done, but he really wanted to go, it was his dream, and he talked about it with some sadness.”

“He was never someone who liked to be in the spotlight, but I felt they could have honored him like they did with Deco, for example. He could have been honored in life, as happened, and rightly so, with João Pinto recently at the Dragões de Ouro. They are players who reflected what, unfortunately, FC Porto can no longer have,” he pointed out.

“Jorge was the last great figure of those times, perfectly reflecting what FC Porto was and is. He never complained about it, but it was clear that one day he dreamed of joining FC Porto. And it's good that day came,” he added, before revealing a curious episode about the ‘Bicho’.

“I was with him during the last holidays; he rented a house in Gerês, around the time Francesco Farioli arrived. He even had to leave to attend the presentation and return. He was very satisfied and happy this season; the previous season was very tough, he was not fulfilled. Wherever he is, he will be proud of this team,” he concluded.

“I can't imagine Jorge Costa's departure without a purpose”

In the same conversation, Marco Leite stated he is convinced that the death of Jorge Costa, which occurred on August 5, 2025, due to a cardiorespiratory arrest, holds “a greater purpose” and that this feeling has been a driving force for the excellent season of FC Porto led by Francesco Farioli.

“I can't imagine his departure without a purpose. Each of us will find our own, and the people of FC Porto have united around his figure, feeling him daily on the field with them. What we have seen is, indeed, FC Porto. When they can't win one way, they win another, with grit, with spirit. You can feel they are united, in a different spirit from last year,” he mentioned.

“I even considered changing careers”

To conclude, Marco Leite confessed that he even considered leaving his career as an assistant coach after leaving Pakhtakor in Uzbekistan, due to the long partnership with Jorge Costa.

“When I left Pakhtakor, Uzbekistan, I seriously considered changing careers. I started thinking very seriously about the issue of being an assistant to someone other than Jorge. It was 15 years with a person of very strong charisma.”

“He outlined and delegated a lot of the work. Being an assistant to someone else shook me a bit. But I am working at Marítimo, with Miguel Moita, a person I know perfectly and even played with in the band. We are in a great club, which deserves to be in the first division, and I am really enjoying being there,” he stated.

“Before, I had two offers to work abroad, and everything was set for one of them. On the day of Jorge's departure, I talked to him about it, but I didn't have the courage to go after what happened. I apologized to them; everything was prepared, but I didn't go,” he concluded.

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