Hugo Costa

Hugo Costa
Personal information
Full name	Hugo Alexandre Esteves Costa
Date of birth	4 November 1973 (age 50)
Place of birth	Tramagal, Portugal
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
1984–1992	Benfica
Senior career*
Years	Team
1992–1993	Gil Vicente
1993–1995	Beira-Mar
1995–1996	Estrela Amadora
1996	Stoke City
1996–2001	Alverca
2001–2003	Vitória Setúbal
2003–2005	Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
2005–2008	União Leiria
2008–2009	Atromitos
2009–2011	Pinhalnovense
Total
International career
1995–1996	Portugal U21
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hugo Alexandre Esteves Costa (born 4 November 1973 in Tramagal, Abrantes) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central defender.

Football career

A graduate of S.L. Benfica's youth system, Costa never appeared however for its first team, going on to spend the following four seasons in the Primeira Liga with Gil Vicente FC, S.C. Beira-Mar (two years) and C.F. Estrela da Amadora, being relegated with the second club in the 1994–95 campaign.

In the 1996 summer he signed with Stoke City in the English second level,^[1] but left the Potters after only a couple of weeks and games,^[2] returning to his country with F.C. Alverca and remaining with the Lisbon outskirts side for the following five seasons, three spent in the top flight.

From 2001 to 2003, also as first-choice and in the top division, Costa played with Vitória de Setúbal. Subsequently he signed for Germany's Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (division two), remaining in the country for two years and suffering relegation in his second.

In 2005–06, Costa returned to Portugal and joined U.D. Leiria, playing in only 16 matches in the top division in three seasons combined – 12 of those came in his last, with the club ranking 16th and last. Afterwards, the 34-year-old moved to Cyprus with Atromitos Yeroskipou.

After just one season Costa once again returned to his country, joining lowly C.D. Pinhalnovense. He left in the 2011 summer aged nearly 38, and retired shortly after.

References

^ Lowe, Simon (2000). Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 978-1-874287-39-1.
^ "Stoke City". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 15 September 2011.

External links

Template:Zerozero profile
Hugo Costa at ForaDeJogo (archived)
Hugo Costa at Soccerbase
Hugo Costa at fussballdaten.de (in German)
Hugo Costa – FIFA competition record (archived)
Hugo Costa at Soccerway

[1] Lowe, Simon (2000). Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 978-1-874287-39-1.

[2] "Stoke City". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 15 September 2011.

[1]

[2]