Rui Costa

Who is Rui Costa?

Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current director of football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

Costa played as an attacking midfielder but was also capable of playing as a deep-lying playmaker, and was renowned for his fine technique, great vision and excellent passing, and is now regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.

Nicknamed "the Maestro", Costa spent the majority of his career with Benfica in Portugal and Fiorentina and A.C. Milan in Italy. In a top-flight career spanning 17 years, he won several trophies including one Primeira Liga title, one Portuguese Cup, one Serie A title, three Italian Cups, one UEFA Champions League title and one UEFA Super Cup. A Portuguese international, Costa amassed 94 caps and scored 26 goals for a selecção and represented the country in three UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup.