Costinha (footballer, born 1992)

For other people named Costinha, see Costinha (disambiguation).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pereira and the second or paternal family name is Costa.

Costinha

Personal information
Full name	João José Pereira da Costa[1]
Date of birth	(1992-08-25) 25 August 1992 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth	Coimbra, Portugal[1]
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Tondela
Number	11
Youth career
2000–2006	Esperança Coimbra
2006–2009	Porto
2007–2008	→ Padroense (loan)
2009–2011	Académica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011	Sertanense	2	(0)
2011–2012	Tocha	20	(6)
2012–2013	Fredericia	35	(3)
2014–2015	Lusitano Vildemoinhos	48	(18)
2015–2019	Vitória Setúbal	100	(8)
2019	Chaves	22	(2)
2020–2023	Santa Clara	55	(0)
2023–	Tondela	38	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 December 2024

João José Pereira da Costa (born 25 August 1992), known as Costinha, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga Portugal 2 club Tondela.

Club career

Born in Coimbra, Costinha finished his youth career at local club Académica de Coimbra. His first season as a senior was split between amateurs Sertanense F.C. and U.D. Tocha.^[2]

In January 2014, after one and a half seasons in the Danish 1st Division with FC Fredericia,^[3] Costinha returned to his country's lower leagues after signing with Lusitano FCV.^[4] He moved straight to the Primeira Liga in summer 2015 after agreeing to a contract at Vitória de Setúbal,^[5] making his debut in the latter competition on 16 August in a 2–2 home draw against Boavista F.C. where he played the full 90 minutes^[6] and scoring his first goal the following weekend in the 4–0 away victory over Académica.^[7]

Costinha played 32 matches in both the 2016–17 and 2017–18 campaigns. He scored once^[8] and twice^[9][10] respectively, as his team managed to consecutively avoid relegation.

On 15 January 2019, Costinha joined fellow top-division side G.D. Chaves on a two-and-a-half-year deal worth €170,000, as his link at the Estádio do Bonfim was about to expire.^[11] In his second appearance of a season that ended in relegation, he scored the only goal away to Portimonense SC.^[12] On 10 August, in the club's first game back in the Liga Portugal 2, he was sent off in a 3–0 loss at C.D. Nacional.^[13]

Costinha returned to the top flight at the start of 2020, on a three-year contract at C.D. Santa Clara.^[14] On 22 July the following year, he scored on his European debut as a late substitute at KF Shkupi, concluding a 3–0 away win in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.^[15] He had an operation in August 2021 on his right Achilles tendon, and was not expected to return until March.^[16]

On 23 June 2023, Costinha signed a two-year deal with second-division C.D. Tondela.^[17]

References

1. "Costinha" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
2. "Costinha deixa Setúbal para reforçar Desportivo de Chaves "a título definitivo"" [Costinha leaves Setúbal to bolster Desportivo de Chaves "on a permanent basis"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
3. Banke, Jesper (16 May 2013). "FC Fredericia hjalp AB over stregen" [FC Fredericia helped AB cross the line]. Fredericia Dagblad (in Danish). Retrieved 20 April 2019.
4. Vaza, Marco (19 October 2015). "Jogadores que vieram da terceira e tiveram sucesso na primeira" [Players who came from the third and made it big in the first]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2019.
5. "Costinha começa a brilhar" [Costinha starts to shine]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 July 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
6. "V. Setúbal-Boavista, 2–2: Empate surpresa gelou os sadinos" [V. Setúbal-Boavista, 2–2: Surprise draw froze the sadinos]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 August 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
7. "Briosa goleada em casa por Vitória eficaz" [Briosa thrashed at home by effective Vitória] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
8. "Golo de Costinha permite empate do Vitória de Setúbal com Sporting de Braga" [Costinha goal enables Vitória de Setúbal draw with Sporting de Braga]. Observador (in Portuguese). 26 February 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
9. "Vitória de Setúbal empata em Tondela e deixa último lugar" [Vitória de Setúbal draw in Tondela and leave last place]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 9 January 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
10. "Benfica segura a liderança com golo de Jiménez nos descontos" [Benfica hold on to first place with Jiménez goal in injury time] (in Portuguese). TSF. 7 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
11. Lopes Pereira, Ricardo (15 January 2019). "V. Setúbal encaixa 170 mil euros com venda de Costinha ao Chaves" [V. Setúbal make 170 thousand euros with sale of Costinha to Chaves]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2019.
12. Alves, Ricardo (29 January 2019). "A crónica do Portimonense–Chaves, 0–1: Largar a lanterna bem longe de casa" [Report on Portimonense–Chaves, 0–1: Getting off last place far away from home]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
13. "Nacional-Chaves, 3–0: domínio madeirense sem contestação" [Nacional-Chaves, 3–0: Uncontested Madeiran dominance]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 August 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
14. "Costinha promete "dar tudo em todos os jogos" pelo Santa Clara" [Costinha promises to "give everything in every game" for Santa Clara] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
15. "Conference League: Santa Clara vence primeira mão na Macedónia" [Conference League: Santa Clara win first leg in North Macedonia]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 22 July 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
16. Silva, Luís Pedro (17 August 2021). "Costinha operado só volta em março" [Costinho has operation and will only return in March]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
17. "Costinha apresentado como reforço do Tondela: "Um casamento perfeito"" [Costinha presented as Tondela addition: "A perfect marriage"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.

External links

• Costinha at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Costinha at Soccerway
• Costinha at WorldFootball.net