One face of title-winning FC Porto: captain Diogo ‘wall’ Costa's 2 paths | OneFootball

FC Porto were crowned national champions for the 31st time on Saturday night after defeating Alverca 1-0 in the 32nd and third-to-last round of the Primeira Liga. With two rounds still to play, the Dragons, managed by Francesco Farioli, sealed the title after going top of the table in the 4th matchday.

With a high-pressing style of football, FC Porto broke away from the trend of recent years and, to make that happen, the signings who arrived at the Dragão last summer played a decisive role. Even so, one of the standout names in this title-winning squad is a player who had already been at the club for quite some time.

And one of the symbols of that journey is Diogo Costa, the wall-like captain who now has two paths ahead of him.

His impact this season…

Diogo Costa needs no introduction. Developed at Olival, the Portuguese goalkeeper, born in Switzerland, stood out at every level before making his debut for the first team in 2019/20. However, it was only two seasons later that Diogo Costa established himself as the starter, always rising to the responsibility, especially after Iker Casillas called him a “phenomenon” and the fans pointed to him as the new Vítor Baía.

In truth, Diogo Costa did not feel the weight of the pressure placed on his shoulders and already has three league titles to his name, having returned to a very high level of performance this season.

Curiously, his best display came in the Europa League, a competition in which FC Porto were knocked out in the quarter-finals at the Estádio do Dragão, which rose in appreciation of the impossible saves that drove Stuttgart’s Germans to despair.

More than just the calm presence between the posts, Diogo Costa was also the captain who led by example, stepping up in the toughest moments and restoring values that FC Porto fans had long been calling for.

Over 32 matchdays, the 26-year-old goalkeeper conceded 15 goals, the best record among the competition’s regular starters. Benfica’s Trubin let in 21 in 30 matches, while Sporting’s Rui Silva also conceded 21 in the 29 matchdays in which he played.

In addition, Diogo Costa also averages 1.74 goals prevented over these rounds, according to Sofascore data, which assesses a goalkeeper’s effectiveness in preventing goals. In practice, this indicator takes into account the “relationship between goals conceded and the expected number of goals based on the quality of the shots.”

…and what the future holds

Captain and seen as one of the faces of the current FC Porto, Diogo Costa will turn 27 next September. That means he may perhaps be at the ideal moment to define the direction he wants to give the rest of his career — and he could even follow the example of compatriots Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe and continue playing past the age of 40.

With the 2026 World Cup as another showcase, Diogo Costa will have to decide whether he wants to extend his stay at the Dragão and follow the logic of a career tied to just one club, or whether the time has come to move on to other realities.

Bayern Munich and Liverpool are examples of clubs that could look at Diogo Costa, since the cycles of Manuel Neuer and Alisson Becker, their respective goalkeepers, are coming to an end. Quality and experience are not lacking; it remains to be seen whether FC Porto will be willing to ease a possible negotiation for a player who recently renewed his contract until 2030.

Still, if he chooses to remain at the Dragão, Diogo Costa has a clear path to becoming one of FC Porto’s greatest legends. With 245 matches for the first team, the Rothrist-born goalkeeper already sits 15th among the players with the most appearances in the club’s history, having drawn level with Héctor Herrera, and could set himself the entirely achievable goal of reaching and surpassing Vítor Baía’s 535 appearances, becoming the most-used player in FC Porto’s history.

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