Jorge Costa, one of FC Porto’s biggest symbols, died on Tuesday at the age of 53, a victim of a cardiorespiratory arrest. Captain of soul and heart, was one of the central figures of the Golden Era of the club, including in the historic achievement of the Champions League in 2003/04 with José Mourinho. But there are stories that, more than the trophies, reveal who he really was – and one of them was eternalized inside a restelo.
It was the 2002/03 season, one of the most brilliant in FC Porto Moderno. Mourinho’s team enchanted inside and out of doors, but even the best fall asleep. This is what happened on a cold night of January, against Belenenses. At the break, Porto lost 1-0 and presented itself in the soulless field-something unacceptable for Jorge Costa. Many years later José Mourinho told what happened during this famous break.
Jorge Costa also recalled this moment in an interview with FC Porto. He told how, when he arrived at the resort, he felt he needed him to speak. “I was perhaps the most aggressive times of my life. I was really natural, I had to wake the team,” he said. And so it was. Mourinho was preparing to enter and give his talk, but fell silent. Respected the captain. Let him talk. The coach only had to give the technical indications, because the rest – the lead, the requirement, the emotional shock – was already done.
Back in the pitch, Jorge Costa himself was leading for the action: he scored two goals, something rare in his central career. “Scoring two goals in a game happened to me once,” he said. FC Porto became the result and won, in one of those games that feel like decisive towards the title – and, in fact, were.
When Jorge Costa went around a Belenenses-FC Porto ⚽
– FC Porto (@fcporto)
With 383 games for FC Porto, Jorge Costa is the eighth player with most presence for the club. He added eight championships, five Portuguese cups, five Super Cup, one UEFA Cup, a Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup. For the national team, it was international for 50 times and was part of the U20 World Champion generation in 1991.
