“FC Porto isn't just a club, it's the people and a whole region” | OneFootball

João Costa describes himself as “a player/fan, like a museum with legs” and believes that “you have to be an example on and off the pitch, with everything that implies,” because “first and foremost, you have to serve FC Porto with soul and heart.” In comments to Público newspaper, the goalkeeper, whom his teammates “called the team’s ultra,” insists that “this Club is not like the others” and that “beyond the history, what you experience at FC Porto is special”: “It’s not just a football club, it belongs to the people and represents a region.”

After “fulfilling a dream” at the age of 30, the keeper, whose “job is to serve FC Porto,” says his goal is “to make everyone better players and better people” and believes that “this team will always be remembered as a true Porto team”: “From the very first moment of this season, I saw that we were going to have a Porto team. I saw how willing my teammates were to suffer, how much they wanted to win.”

Throughout a long conversation, João Costa offers glowing praise for Diogo Costa, “one of the best goalkeepers in the world and a friend for life,” speaks of FC Porto’s goalkeeping group as “a small team within the big team,” stresses the importance of “closing the inner circle inside the dressing room,” and recalls Jorge Costa’s death with sadness: “It was an irreparable loss that brought us pain that will never heal, but that we managed to turn into energy, into strength, into fuel for something much bigger. That fed us over time, kept us united, made us put all our egos aside.”

His debut for the first team“I arrived at FC Porto when I was seven or eight years old, and I think every Porto-supporting kid who comes here that young has this dream. For me it meant even more: if making it here is already difficult, leaving, going through everything I went through, and managing to come back and fulfill my dream at 30 means even more. Receiving the captain’s armband made the moment even more powerful and emotional, I think. Wearing the armband at our club is special and it only shows the kind of person I am.”

Wearing the armband“You have to be an example on and off the pitch, with everything that implies. First and foremost, you have to serve with soul and heart. Beyond being an example, it’s about lifting others up, helping others become better professionals and people, and also helping them perform better on the pitch. I think that’s a gift I have.

Serving the Club“My job is to serve FC Porto. That was one of the purposes of coming here, and not every player gets that chance. I did it with soul and heart, in a unique way, both with the older players and the younger ones. I had thousands of conversations with (Jan) Bednarek, Thiago Silva, and the younger players. If that helped in any way for us to reach the 31st league title, I’m very proud and happy.”

The title-winning match“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 always follow the team, in every match and every training camp. I couldn’t even eat. I felt sick. I think it was the first time in my career that had happened to me. And in this game it was 100% the opposite. For me, they were the 30 minutes of a lifetime. I had every reason and more, because of the feeling and the magnitude of the moment for me, to be anxious and nervous. The feeling I had was that my moment had arrived; I had prepared my whole life and career for it. There was no way it wasn’t going to work out. I know how I work, how I prepare, recover, and care about every detail.”

The defining match“I was in a state of total lightness, just enjoying and making the most of every second on the pitch. And it wasn’t only on the pitch—every second of that day I enjoyed, from seven in the morning when I woke up until half past four in the morning, when the Aliados celebrations ended. I enjoyed every second of that day, until I literally couldn’t stay on my feet any longer.”

The goalkeeping options“There are several ways of looking at it. We can see it from that angle, the comfortable attitude of thinking: ‘I’ll go there, do my little job, and leave. I know I’ll never play, and that’s that.’ I think that’s the easiest way, but I have an approach to life where I like to infect everything and everyone with my energy. Neither Diogo (Costa) nor Cláudio (Ramos) are exceptions. I think I managed it through the way I am, through my daily work and example. This is a team, it’s FC Porto, and here we all make each other better players and better people. Our goalkeeping group was something unique.”

The guardians of the club’s spirit“I think we often raised the team’s standards, pulled our teammates up, forcing them to work harder. We represented FC Porto the way it should be represented. Aside from that, it’s also a huge source of pride to be able to learn from Diogo (Costa), to enjoy having one of the best goalkeepers in the world around, and to have a friend for life. Him and Cláudio (Ramos), it’s something special and you don’t find it in every team. I’m 30 and already have some experience, and I don’t think I’ll ever find a group like this again.”

A fan on the pitch“I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of a player/fan in there, like a museum with legs. They quickly realized within the group who they could ask that kind of thing about the Club, and I take enormous pride and pleasure in sharing it too. They called me the team’s ultra, but that’s part of it, and it’s important for them to understand that this club is not like the others. Beyond the history, what you experience here is special. It’s not just a football club, it belongs to the people and represents a region.”

His first contact with the senior squad“I remember the first training session as if it were today. They had already been preparing me for a few months, I was in the academy, and at the time the third goalkeeper was Kadú. But because he had come through Padroense, he didn’t count as an academy player, and FC Porto had to register one for the European competitions. At the time, I became the youngest goalkeeper ever to be registered by the Club. I remember perfectly that Helton was ill that day, so I wasn’t supposed to train that day.”

Memories of that day“Back then, I had to knock on the dressing-room door and ask to come in, ask for somewhere to get changed, wear an XL, sit in a corner, listen and learn. These days it’s very different; I can’t forget those memories. There was something very funny: my gloves were all torn, and Helton asked me if I wanted some new ones. He said he’d give me some if I went and cleaned his boots. The first thing I did was get up—I really was going to clean his boots. It was just a joke to see what kind of attitude I had; then he called me back, didn’t let me clean the boots, and gave me the gloves. Those are things that don’t exist nowadays, but in my time I think it was very important for us to understand that entering that closed circle, that dressing room, had to be something sacred or special. That’s something the homegrown players tried to instill this year: keeping our close dressing-room circle tight. I think that was one of the keys to success.”

Working with Helton and Casillas“The one who left the biggest mark on me was Helton. He was at my wedding—I made a point of inviting him to perform. He’s a living legend of the Club. At the time, I had two references: (Iker) Casillas, five-time best goalkeeper in the world at my Club, and Helton, who was the goalkeeper of my Club. I had the privilege of spending time with both, but Helton marked me deeply because he was the first great leader I was able to live alongside. He’s someone I hold in great affection and esteem; he remains a reference for me.”

Advice for the younger ones“It’s the old story of ‘if I knew then what I know now...’ Today I usually say that I am the master of my destiny, and back then maybe I wasn’t. I still had a lot to learn. I know I’m ready now to represent the first team, and back then, although I might have thought so, I wasn’t in the way I am today. Now I value much more the things that have no price.”

An example in life“Being an example to others. Sometimes we think that being successful in life is only about looking at results, titles, or, in my case, minutes played. It’s much more than that—it’s understanding, when we finish our careers, what impact we had on people’s lives. If there’s one thing I would improve in João Costa at 16, it would be being an example for everyone. Back then I valued other things, I was only worried about playing. It was normal, that young passion. We don’t value what happens off the pitch, rest, what we can add to others.”

Leaving home“It wasn’t something that came from the Club, it came from me, because I’ve always been a competitor. At 21, after a serious injury, I felt I needed to compete and show people again what I was capable of. At the time, I asked coach Sérgio Conceição to let me leave also because I wanted to try to make the under-21s. I had gone through all the youth national teams and didn’t get the chance to go to the under-21s because I had a serious injury. I was still eligible and tried to get minutes so I could have that chance again. I left here with tears in my eyes, but I felt I could come back.”

The injury at 21“There was only one moment that was lower than that. At that time, as young as I was, I thought I would never play football again. I felt like my world had collapsed, that no one would ever believe in me again. You’re never prepared for a serious injury and it’s very hard. After that, unfortunately, I suffered another serious injury, and I know the differences between one and the other. The second time, I accepted it from the very first moment and only focused on doing everything within my power to recover as quickly as possible. But I think the most fragile moment of my career was when I left Granada, which was a Spanish top-flight club, I wasn’t getting minutes, and I had to go back again to the Spanish Third Division, on deadline day, earning the lowest salary of my career.”

The move to Murcia“That was the moment when I questioned everything, because I was discussed by dozens of clubs and they all said I had quality, but I was always second on the list. Having to accept going back to train in the Spanish Third Division, on deadline day, earning the lowest salary of my career, already at 26 or 27 years old... taking my family, going abroad on a salary that, if you did the math, people would say it wasn’t even worth leaving Portugal for... I think that was the most fragile moment of my career because, for the first time, I questioned everything. That’s also when the people around you help you endure those moments and remind you what kind of person you are. That’s when the new João Costa was born; I went through a unique personal transformation, which has brought us to where we are today.”

Gil Vicente, Granada, Murcia, Feirense and Estrela da Amadora“I remember still being at Feirense, during my second serious injury, and me and two other former FC Porto teammates had a FIFA team. We managed to strike a partnership with the Club, one day there was a FIFA tournament here at the Dragão, and we came to watch the final. One of my best friends told me he would still see me play here, and I answered that I no longer had the knees for that. Incredibly enough, one or two months later, I recovered in time to play in a relegation playoff and had the best game of my career. From then on it was always upward, and I started saying: ‘One day it’ll happen.’”

Returning home“I didn’t believe in it as much because it felt like I was getting farther and farther from the goal. My biggest concerns were already my family, being able to give them as much stability and as many opportunities as possible. My focus wasn’t so much on my dream, but on my family’s dream. Over time, I realized that their dream was exactly the same as mine. I had proof of that during these celebrations, seeing the joy of all my family and friends.”

The opportunity of a lifetime“At Feirense I was already having one of the best seasons of my career, breaking all the records. Half of the Primeira Liga was after me and, at the time, one of the clubs asking about me was FC Porto. Even at that moment, I told my agent that for us to come back here one day, we were still missing one step: we had to show in the Primeira Liga that we were capable. That’s what allows us to come through the front door, to be seen as a valuable signing and not just one more.”

Playing against FC Porto“I shared this in the first conversation I had with the president: it was the hardest win of my career. I saw how much the club was suffering and how important that win was for my team, Estrela da Amadora. I’m a consummate professional, but I felt pain deep in my heart. I knew that, in a way, I was making my own people suffer. It was also a moment when I felt I had to switch sides; I think it helped me make this decision.”

Rituals before matches“I have two. The first is when we all greet each other in the tunnel before going out for the warm-up, the goalkeepers and their respective coaches. It’s a message passed within a small team inside the big team. The other thing is when the goalkeeper on the bench always waits for his teammate at half-time, even if it’s just for a few words or to offer comfort. They’re two rituals that stayed with me; I’d never done that before and they make perfect sense.”

Being a goalkeeper“I think our position is different from all the others. A goalkeeper can only play at his best level after getting through a few matches, especially in decision-making. It’s normal that, when we haven’t played for a long time, some decisions may not come out as naturally. But in my case, and as someone who has been through that, I think what keeps us always ready is daily work. If we work hard every day and have a clear conscience, knowing we did everything within our power to prepare, then when the time comes, that’s what will make the difference.”

Who surprised him most“(Victor) Froholdt, running. In the first round we made some cards with predictions for the season, and one of the things I wrote was that Victor was going to be the revelation of the season. And he was. He was one of the ones who surprised me. As a Porto supporter, in past seasons, I felt there was some criticism of certain players. I can give the example of Pepê and Eustáquio himself, but we saw them play and they were players at FC Porto level. This team surprised a lot of people; sometimes we draw conclusions without knowing what’s going on and what people are really worth.”

La Famiglia Portista“I think the coach’s arrival was very important in the sense that he too was coming off a difficult season. We had pain in common, along with Jorge Costa’s passing. It’s an irreparable loss that brought us pain that will never heal, but that we managed to turn into energy, into strength, into fuel for something much bigger. That fed us over time, kept us united, made us put all our egos aside.”

The start of the season“We felt we were starting behind our rivals because they had a foundation that we didn’t have. We had little time to work, we had a completely new team, a new coach, and supporters carrying deep pain. Changing that so quickly is beyond just any team.”

A Porto team“I can only talk about what I saw as a supporter in the previous season and what I saw as a player this season. From the very first moment of this season, I saw that we were going to have a Porto team. I saw how willing my teammates were to suffer, how much they wanted to win. As someone who has also gone through many difficult moments in my career and in life, I knew the pain they had and how much that can transform a person and a professional. I believed right away that we could go on to do something great. And I think this team will always be remembered as a true Porto team.”

Predictions for the future“I usually say that the best is always yet to come. I think I managed to make history at FC Porto. Whether playing more or less, I managed to make it felt that I was part of it and that my work was well done within the Club. So, right now, there’s no other way than to continue my story at FC Porto.”

Would you like to end your career at FC Porto?“I don’t like talking much about the end of my career, because for me the end of my career is still a long way off. I’m one of those people who think they’ll be very old and still around here knocking a ball about. If you asked me whether I would leave happy if I ended my career today, I would leave with the greatest happiness and pride in the world, because I know I left my mark on the people here and that my work and my purpose were fulfilled.”

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