Rui Manuel César Costa (born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica.
He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors.
Nicknamed "The Maestro", Costa spent the majority of his football career with Benfica in Portugal and Fiorentina and AC Milan in Italy.
In a top-flight career spanning 17 years, he won several trophies, including one Primeira Liga title, one Taça de Portugal, one Serie A title, three Coppa Italia, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Super Cup.
A Portuguese international, he amassed 94 caps and scored 26 goals for A Seleção and represented the country in three UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup.
Considered one of the best playmakers of all time, Costa usually played as an attacking midfielder and was particularly known for his excellent technique, playmaking ability, and eye for goal from midfield.
He is regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football and one of Portugal's best players of all time.
1990
Up until 1990, Costa played for Benfica's youth squads.
In his first full season, he was loaned to A.D. Fafe on a season-long deal.
1991
In 1991, after the Under-21 World Cup, which Portugal won after a penalty kick scored by Costa, he returned to Benfica.
In his first full season with Benfica, he was featured regularly in Benfica's team.
In his next two seasons, his role in the team would prove to be pivotal as Benfica captured two trophies.
He formed a formidable midfield partnership with João Vieira Pinto.
1993
During his last two seasons with Benfica in his first spell with the club, he won the Taça de Portugal in 1993 and the Portuguese First Division title in 1993–94.
This would be Benfica's last league title for the next ten seasons.
At the end of his third season in Benfica's senior squad, Fiorentina offered for the 21-year-old midfielder.
His departure from Fiorentina was discussed every season, since many clubs constantly showed interest in signing him.
2000
Fatih Terim was the coach of Fiorentina in the 2000–01 season.
When he was leaving Fiorentina for AC Milan, he took Costa with him, paying 85 billion lire (€43,898,836) for the player.
In so doing, Costa became Milan's most expensive transfer of all time.
2001
However, he only left Fiorentina one season before their bankruptcy in the 2001–02 season.
With the Florentine club, Costa won the Coppa Italia twice, also winning a Supercoppa Italiana.
In June 2001, Fiorentina agreed to sell both Costa and Francesco Toldo to Parma for 140 billion lire.
Despite both players refusal to join, Costa and Toldo were sold to AC Milan and Inter Milan, respectively, for the same total transfer fee.
On 27 September 2001, Costa scored his first goal for Milan to open a 4–0 home win (6–0 aggregate) in the first round of the UEFA Cup against BATE Borisov.
He added further goals in wins over CSKA Sofia (second round) and Hapoel Tel Aviv (quarter-finals) in a run to the last four.
He was hampered by injuries throughout the whole season, including a wrist injury on his debut, while his form was inconsistent.
Playing away at Fiorentina, he greeted his former club's fans in tears, which led to an angry reaction when he returned to Milan.
Ahead of his second season at Milan, Costa's faced competition from Brazilian new signing Rivaldo, but secured a starting place against him.
2002
On 24 September 2002, he assisted three goals in a 4–0 Champions League group win at Deportivo de La Coruña, leading a television commentator to call him three times better than Zinedine Zidane.
He scored his first domestic goal on 18 December, equalising in a 5–1 win (6–2 aggregate) against Ancona at the San Siro in the second leg of the last 16 of the Coppa Italia.
In the 6–3 aggregate final win over Roma in May, he played only 30 minutes as a substitute as Brazilians Rivaldo and Serginho were preferred in attacking midfield.
2003
This was to rest him for the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final against Juventus, in which he was substituted injured for Massimo Ambrosini near the end of regulation time in a goalless draw that the Rossoneri won on penalties at Old Trafford.
On 29 August, he played in the 1–0 victory over Porto in the 2003 UEFA Super Cup, in which he crossed for the only goal by Andriy Shevchenko.
From 2003–04, Costa's playing time was limited by the emergent Brazilian youngster Kaká.
He contributed his first three league goals to Milan's title-winning campaign, starting with one in a 5–0 home win over Ancona on 25 January.
2004
In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 as one of the 125 greatest living football players.
At age five, Costa joined the infant indoor football team of Damaia Ginásio Clube.
Costa tried his luck at Benfica.
Within ten minutes of training, Portugal legend Eusébio, who was supervising the youngsters, was impressed with Costa's skills.
