| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Miguel Moreira da Costa | ||
| Date of birth | 16 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Valencia | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Boavista | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2003 | Porto B | 69 | (13) |
| 2002–2007 | Porto | 75 | (3) |
| 2007–2010 | Wolfsburg | 42 | (6) |
| 2010 | → Lille (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2010– | Valencia | 31 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002–2004 | Portugal U21 | 23 | (0) |
| 2005– | Portugal | 10 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 October 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Ricardo Miguel Moreira da Costa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu ˈkɔʃtɐ]; born 16 May 1981 in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain.
Mainly a central defender, he can occasionally play as a full back.
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Costa, a product of Boavista FC's youth system, moved to neighbours F.C. Porto when he was still an apprentice. He made his first division debut in a 2002 derby match, precisely against Boavista, but never became more than a fringe player, being preferred in the stopper's pecking order in consecutive seasons to namesake Jorge, Pedro Emanuel, Pepe and Bruno Alves.
In July 2007, as first team opportunities appeared few at Porto, Costa joined Bundesliga's VfL Wolfsburg, on a three-year contract.[1] After a shaky start, he finished the season as an undisputed starter, as the side reached a UEFA Cup final standing.
In the summer of 2009, Costa was about to be transferred to Real Zaragoza, but the transfer could not be completed, because the two parties could not come to an agreement.[2] The deal was finally canceled on 29 July 2009, and Costa returned to Wolfsburg.[3]
On 28 January 2010, although he was being used regularly at Wolfsburg, Costa transferred to OSC Lille in France.[4] On 17 May, after having contributed relatively to Lille's fourth place, he moved teams and countries again, joining Valencia CF of Spain on a four-year contract.[5][6]
On 9 March 2011, Costa scored his first goal for Valencia, putting the Che ahead at FC Schalke 04 for the season's UEFA Champions League round of 16, in an eventual 1–3 loss (2–4 on aggregate).[7]
Costa played for Portugal at under-21 level and was also a part of the Olympic team that played in Athens 2004.
A full international since 2005, he was called-up to the first team squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he appeared against Germany, in the third-place match.
On 10 May 2010, national team boss Carlos Queiroz announced a provisional list of 24 players in view for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with Costa being included, thus returning to the squad after an absence of four years; in the tournament, he played twice, always as right back: in the group stage 0–0 against Brazil, and the round-of-16 loss against Spain (0–1, where he was sent off in the last minute, receiving a three-match ban for his actions[8]).
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