João Costa: “For me, they were the 30 minutes of a lifetime” | OneFootball

A national champion with FC Porto at every level, including the B team, João Costa added another title in 2025/26, this time in the Primeira Liga, when he was brought on in the final minutes of the home match against Santa Clara, on matchday 34. In an interview with “Público”, the 30-year-old goalkeeper spoke about the emotions he experienced on the day the title was won, in the match against Alverca, and later, during the celebrations against the Azorean side.

“On the day we became champions, I felt unwell all day and I wasn’t going to play. I knew I wasn’t going to play. I was left out of the squad, but I’m always with the team, in every match and every training camp. I couldn’t even eat. I was feeling sick. I think it was the first time in my career that something like that happened to me,” he said about the day of the match with the Ribatejo side, highlighting the contrast with the final celebration: “For me, they were the 30 minutes of a lifetime. I had every reason and then some, because of the emotion and the magnitude of the moment for me, to be anxious and nervous. The feeling I had was that the moment had arrived; I had prepared my whole life and career for it. There was no way it could go wrong. I know how I work, how I prepare, recover, and care about every detail. I was in a state of complete lightness, just enjoying and making the most of every second on the pitch. And it wasn’t only on the pitch — I enjoyed every second of that day, from seven in the morning when I woke up until half past four in the morning, when the celebration at Aliados ended. I enjoyed every second of that day, until I could no longer stay on my feet.”

Happy to share the goal with names such as Diogo Costa and Cláudio Ramos, João Costa, nicknamed by his teammates “the team’s ultra,” also spoke about the importance of role models in the dressing room, the work he did with idols such as Helton and Casillas, and recalled the path he took through the club’s youth ranks.

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