Diogo Costa eyes record at Vila das Aves | OneFootball

One of the main figures behind the extraordinary campaign that culminated in FC Porto winning their 31st national championship was, without a doubt, Diogo Costa. The goalkeeper is very likely enjoying one of the best — if not the very best — seasons of his career. And the numbers confirm his influence on the team’s performances in 2025/2026. If he manages to keep a clean sheet away at Vila das Aves, in the match scheduled for Sunday at 6:00 pm, the Portuguese international will set FC Porto’s record for most clean sheets in a single season in the 21st century. Against Alverca, in the match in which the Dragons mathematically secured the national title, the keeper matched the mark of 25 clean sheets in a season across all official competitions, a record that until now had belonged to two foreign goalkeepers.

Before that, that mark had been reached by Brazilian Helton in 2012/2013, in a season of enormous defensive solidity under Vítor Pereira; and also by Russian Ovchinnikov in 2000/01, already during Fernando Santos’s time as coach.

As a curiosity, Diogo Costa has already surpassed names such as Marchesín (22 clean sheets, in 2020/2021), Fabiano Freitas (24, in 2014/2015) and Iker Casillas (24, in 2016/2017). Even so, the man between the sticks for the Dragons wants to finish 2025/2026 with 27 clean sheets. To do so, he is expected to start in the two remaining matches of the season: on Sunday, away against already relegated Aves SAD, and the following weekend, against Santa Clara at the Dragão.

A record in the league as well

The blue-and-whites’ captain has already surpassed this season his best clean-sheet tally in a Portuguese league campaign, which was 16 and had been achieved in 2022/2023, when FC Porto were coached by Sérgio Conceição.

In 2025/2026, Porto’s number 99 kept FC Porto’s goal untouched against V. Guimarães (twice), Gil Vicente (twice), Casa Pia, Nacional da Madeira (twice), Rio Ave (twice), Arouca, Benfica, Famalicão, Estoril, Tondela (twice), Alverca (twice), Aves SAD — a match in which he only played the first half, going off at half-time due to injury —, Santa Clara and Moreirense. Diogo Costa produced top-level performances throughout 2025/2026 and was decisive in several matches, contributing to some hard-fought FC Porto victories…

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