João Costa: talisman for the B team, inspiration at FC Porto | OneFootball

João Brandão, coach of the B team, has known the player for over ten years and reminded the squad of the goalkeeper’s inspiring speech at his presentation, when he emphasized the need for a “sense of responsibility to represent FC Porto” and assured that he would bring “work culture, leadership, and energy,” without forgetting the struggle to overcome two serious injuries before reaching his current level. Before the debut against Marítimo, the coach asked Costa to speak to his teammates, in an address that reinforced the club’s behavioral principles. On the field, the benefits are clear: from the technical quality to the experience of number 24, which translates into a more mature game management.

The professionalism, dedication, Porto spirit, and competitiveness of the goalkeeper are recognized and widely respected by everyone at the club – from the youngest to the staff and first-team colleagues – fostering, in this context, a solid relationship with his fellow goalkeepers, Cláudio Ramos and Diogo Costa, with whom he has already shared training. Number 99 is the starter and Cláudio Ramos has been the choice in cup competitions, but João Costa’s performance in training has been outstanding, as recently highlighted by Francesco Farioli, who also considers him one of the group’s leaders. In fact, all of João Costa’s matches for the B team have been attended by the main coaching staff. In short, this was exactly what André Villas-Boas and Jorge Costa wanted.

From Utrecht to Minho via Chaves

Farioli has never left João Costa out of the squad lists, which has led the goalkeeper to play out of passion. In November, he was involved in three matches within 72 hours: he was present in Utrecht, in the Europa League, on November 6th (Thursday), guarded the goal for FC Porto B in Chaves on Saturday, and was called up for the match against Famalicão in the Primeira Liga on Sunday. More recently, he took part in the match at Estádio do Mar, contributing to the 4-2 victory, and immediately joined the first team’s training camp before the trip to Tondela.

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