Player Profile: Rui Costa

O Maestro

Rui Costa was for me one of the greatest Portuguese players I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, even if just through a screen. He was magical, prodigious, absolutely exceptional with the ball in the way he understood the movements of his teammates and of his adversaries. There was no stopping him when his brain started crafting plays and scenarios, it seemed as if he was seeing everything — the present, the future and all the potential outcomes.

He was the player that got me feeling connected to Portugal when it came to football (soccer) and I couldn't wait to see that number 10 on the field. Whether it was him playing in the Italian league with AC Milan or in the Euros with the Portuguese national team, he was always special. His passes blew me away, his close and precise control of the ball left me wondering how could he do it, and then the moments of shock when he scored those beautiful goals. He was in my opinion, the epitome of the playmaker — the number 10. While he was not able to win a trophy with Portugal at the senior level, he was and still is one of the best I have seen (nothing against Vitinha or João Neves or Ruben Neves or the many talented current midfielders).

While there is a current name that takes all the headlines when it comes to Portuguese football, let's never forget the great names that came before. He was one of the names that set the path, giving room for the current generation to not only shine, but be considered among the best in the world.