Rui Costa
Encyclopedia
Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH (ˈʁuj ˈkɔʃtɐ; born 29 March 1972) is a former Portuguese
football
player and current Director of Football
for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese
club Benfica. Renowned for his fine technique and his excellent passing, he's now considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. In 2004, he was named by Pelé
in FIFA 100
, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.
, who was supervising the youngsters, was impressed at Rui's skills. Up until 1990, Rui played for Benfica's youth squads. That season he was loaned to Fafe
on a season long deal.
In 1991, after the Under-21 World Cup, which Portugal won after a victorious penalty kick scored by Costa, he returned to Benfica. There, he won the Cup of Portugal in 1993 and the Portuguese First Division
title in 1993-94. This would be Benfica's last league title for 11 years.
offered 1200 million escudos
(about €6 million) for the young midfielder, an impressive fee at the time. Since Benfica was struggling with financial problems, Rui Costa had to leave.
Despite the heavy competition with the best midfielders in that time such as Zinedine Zidane
, Costa was named the best number 10 player in the Serie A a few times. His departure from Fiorentina was discussed every season, since many clubs constantly showed interest in signing him. However, he only left when Fiorentina went bankrupt after the 2001-02 season.
was the coach of Fiorentina in the 2000-01 season. When he was leaving Fiorentina for Milan
, he took Costa with him, paying a reported £30 million for the player. In doing so, Costa became Milan's most expensive transfer of all-time. Costa played five seasons in Milan, where he won one Serie A
title, one Italian Cup
, one Italian Super Cup, one UEFA Champions League
, and one European Super Cup
.
In 2003, Brazilian youngster Kaká
joined the ranks at Milan and relegated Costa to the bench. Though pleased with Kaká's success, he was disappointed to be restricted to the bench in the twilight of his career.
In 2004, Costa played his last match for the Portuguese squad
at the UEFA Euro 2004 final, when Portugal
lost to underdogs Greece
1-0 in what was considered a titanic upset.
before announcing his retirement from football.
On the following day, Costa was presented as the new leader of the football department, hiring Quique Sánchez Flores
as the new manager of Benfica and being responsible for the formation of the team in the next season.
During the 2008 Summer transfer window, Costa was able – already as Director of Football
– to sign a few well-known players, such as Argentine
playmaker
Pablo Aimar
and bringing in Spanish
left-winger José Antonio Reyes
and Honduran
striker
David Suazo
in on loan, thus gaining general praise from both board and fans alike.
On the following Summer, Costa further increased his efforts to build a solid Benfica team, with such signings as Argentinean striker
Javier Saviola
, Brazilian centre midfielder Ramires
and Spanish
defensive midfielder Javi García
, along with experienced Portuguese
manager
Jorge Jesus. This effort was rewarded with Benfica’s victory in the Portuguese League.
Costa was especially instrumental in helping Portugal reach the 2004 final on home soil, scoring a screamer of a goal at his beloved Estadio da Luz against England in the quarter-final match, and the sight of a distraught Rui Costa at the end of the heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Greece is one of the enduring images of the tournament.
Costa also took part in the World Cup 2002 in Japan and South Korea scoring Portugal's winning goal in their 4-0 win over Poland.
The only time in his career that Costa was sent off was in an international game against Germany.
Despite being principally a provider, Costa chipped in with a highly impressive 26 goals in 94 games.
in 1991. His clinching penalty kick against Brasil in the final helped win the title on home soil and announced Costa as one of the brightest members of what would become known as the “Golden Generation.”
With their success at youth level, much was expected of the Portuguese national team at senior level. However, they did not win a major international tournament at senior level. Despite not winning any major international titles, they managed to bring Portugal to their finest moments since the days of the legendary Eusébio
in the 1960s.
Fiorentina:
AC Milan:
National team:
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and current Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
club Benfica. Renowned for his fine technique and his excellent passing, he's now considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. In 2004, he was named by Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
in FIFA 100
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.
Club career
At the age of five, Costa joined the infant indoor football team of Damaia Ginásio Clube. Rui tried his luck at Benfica. Within ten minutes of training, Portugal legend EusébioEusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
, who was supervising the youngsters, was impressed at Rui's skills. Up until 1990, Rui played for Benfica's youth squads. That season he was loaned to Fafe
A.D. Fafe
Associação Desportiva de Fafe is a Portuguese football club from Fafe, northern Portugal. Founded in 1958, it currently plays in the Portuguese Fourth Division, holding home games at Parque Municipal dos Desportos de Fafe, with a capacity of 8,000....
on a season long deal.
In 1991, after the Under-21 World Cup, which Portugal won after a victorious penalty kick scored by Costa, he returned to Benfica. There, he won the Cup of Portugal in 1993 and the Portuguese First Division
Portuguese Liga
The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
title in 1993-94. This would be Benfica's last league title for 11 years.
AC Fiorentina
At the end of his third season in Benfica's senior squad, FiorentinaACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
offered 1200 million escudos
Portuguese escudo
The escudo was the currency of Portugal prior to the introduction of the Euro on 1 January 1999 and its removal from circulation on 28 February 2002. The escudo was subdivided into 100 centavos....
(about €6 million) for the young midfielder, an impressive fee at the time. Since Benfica was struggling with financial problems, Rui Costa had to leave.
Despite the heavy competition with the best midfielders in that time such as Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, Costa was named the best number 10 player in the Serie A a few times. His departure from Fiorentina was discussed every season, since many clubs constantly showed interest in signing him. However, he only left when Fiorentina went bankrupt after the 2001-02 season.
AC Milan
Fatih TerimFatih Terim
Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....
was the coach of Fiorentina in the 2000-01 season. When he was leaving Fiorentina for Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, he took Costa with him, paying a reported £30 million for the player. In doing so, Costa became Milan's most expensive transfer of all-time. Costa played five seasons in Milan, where he won one Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
title, one Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
, one Italian Super Cup, one UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, and one European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
.
In 2003, Brazilian youngster Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
joined the ranks at Milan and relegated Costa to the bench. Though pleased with Kaká's success, he was disappointed to be restricted to the bench in the twilight of his career.
In 2004, Costa played his last match for the Portuguese squad
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
at the UEFA Euro 2004 final, when Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
lost to underdogs Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
1-0 in what was considered a titanic upset.
Benfica
On 25 May 2006, Costa's return to Benfica to play for the forthcoming season was announced in a press conference. He had been released from Milan after both the player and the club reached an agreement to end his contract. Costa also gave up his €4.6 million per year contract to play in the club that, year after year, had dreamt of his return. Costa's affection for Benfica is publicly known and so is his desire to end his career at the Portuguese club. On 11 May 2008, Costa played his last game for Benfica against Vitória de SetúbalVitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...
before announcing his retirement from football.
On the following day, Costa was presented as the new leader of the football department, hiring Quique Sánchez Flores
Quique Sanchez Flores
Enrique "Quique" Sánchez Flores is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right defender, and a current manager....
as the new manager of Benfica and being responsible for the formation of the team in the next season.
During the 2008 Summer transfer window, Costa was able – already as Director of Football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
– to sign a few well-known players, such as Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
playmaker
Playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's offensive play, and is often involved in passing moves which lead to goals....
Pablo Aimar
Pablo Aimar
Pablo César Aimar Giordano is a Argentine professional footballer who plays for Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the Portuguese first division. An attacking midfielder with a vast array of skills, he also holds a Spanish passport....
and bringing in Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
left-winger José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
and Honduran
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
David Suazo
David Suazo
Óscar David Suazo Velázquez is a Honduran football striker who currently plays for Calcio Catania in the Italian Serie A. He is also a member of the Honduran national team.-Early career:...
in on loan, thus gaining general praise from both board and fans alike.
On the following Summer, Costa further increased his efforts to build a solid Benfica team, with such signings as Argentinean striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Javier Saviola
Javier Saviola
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker....
, Brazilian centre midfielder Ramires
Ramires
Ramires Santos do Nascimento , commonly Ramires and Rambo, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelsea and the Brazilian national side. In 2008, he won a Bronze medal in the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China...
and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
defensive midfielder Javi García
Francisco Javier García
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal...
, along with experienced Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Jorge Jesus. This effort was rewarded with Benfica’s victory in the Portuguese League.
International career
Rui Costa was a member of Portugal’s most consistent years at senior level as the team reached the quarter-finals of Euro 1996, the semi-finals of Euro 2000, and the final of Euro 2004.Costa was especially instrumental in helping Portugal reach the 2004 final on home soil, scoring a screamer of a goal at his beloved Estadio da Luz against England in the quarter-final match, and the sight of a distraught Rui Costa at the end of the heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Greece is one of the enduring images of the tournament.
Costa also took part in the World Cup 2002 in Japan and South Korea scoring Portugal's winning goal in their 4-0 win over Poland.
The only time in his career that Costa was sent off was in an international game against Germany.
Despite being principally a provider, Costa chipped in with a highly impressive 26 goals in 94 games.
Golden Generation
In the summer of 1991 his displays at Fafe had impressed Portugal Under-21 coach Carlos Queiroz so much that he was called up to the team to represent Portugal in the World Youth Cup. The Portuguese under-20 national team won a World Youth ChampionshipFIFA U-20 World Cup
The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
in 1991. His clinching penalty kick against Brasil in the final helped win the title on home soil and announced Costa as one of the brightest members of what would become known as the “Golden Generation.”
With their success at youth level, much was expected of the Portuguese national team at senior level. However, they did not win a major international tournament at senior level. Despite not winning any major international titles, they managed to bring Portugal to their finest moments since the days of the legendary Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
in the 1960s.
International goals
Team
Benfica:- Taça de PortugalTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 1993 - Portuguese LigaPortuguese LigaThe Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
: 1993-94
Fiorentina:
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1996Coppa Italia 1995-96-First leg:-Second leg:Fiorentina won 3–0 on aggregate.-References:*...
, 2001Coppa Italia 2000-01Coppa Italia was won by Fiorentina, the violet side qualifying for the UEFA Cup in the progress. It was Fiorentina's second title in recent years, having also won the 1995-96 edition of the tournament.-First Leg:---------Second Leg:--------... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 19961996 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1996 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1995–96 Serie A winners Milan and 1995–96 Coppa Italia winners Fiorentina. It took place on 25 August 1996 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy...
AC Milan:
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2003 - UEFA Super Cup: 20032003 UEFA Super CupThe 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0...
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2003Coppa Italia 2002-03- Second Round :-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Milan win Coppa Italia 6–3 on aggregate.-References:*... - Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2003-04Serie A 2003-04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20042004 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2004 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2003-04 winners Milan and the 2003-04 Coppa Italia winners Lazio.The match result was a 3-0 victory for Milan after a hat-trick by Andriy Shevchenko.-Match details:-References:...
National team:
- UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
: (Runner-up) 2004, (3rd Place) 2000 - FIFA U-20 World CupFIFA U-20 World CupThe FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
: (Champion - 1st place) 1991 - European Under-21 Football Championship: (runner-up) 19941994 UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-21 Championship 1994, which spanned two years , had 32 entrants. After the quarter-finals stage, France were chosen as the first hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total....
- UEFA Under-18 Championship: (runner up) 1990
- Toulon TournamentToulon TournamentThe Toulon Tournament is a football tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-21 players, although the first tournament in 1967 featured club teams...
: (winner) 1992
Individual
- Toulon TournamentToulon TournamentThe Toulon Tournament is a football tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-21 players, although the first tournament in 1967 featured club teams...
1992: Best Player - Toulon TournamentToulon TournamentThe Toulon Tournament is a football tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-21 players, although the first tournament in 1967 featured club teams...
1992: Top Scorer - UEFA European Championship Teams of the TournamentUEFA European Championship Teams of the TournamentThis article lists the Teams of the Tournament in the UEFA European Championship from 1960 to date.-France 1960:* 1. Lev Yashin* 2. Vladimir Durković* 3. Ladislav Novák* 4. Igor Netto* 5. Josef Masopust...
: 1996, 2000 - FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
- SJPF Player of the MonthSJPF Player of the MonthThe SJPF Player of the Month is an association football award that recognizes the best Portuguese League player each month of the season and is conceived by the SJPF...
: September 2007 - 2007 Benfica Awards: Player of the Year
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fafe A.D. Fafe Associação Desportiva de Fafe is a Portuguese football club from Fafe, northern Portugal. Founded in 1958, it currently plays in the Portuguese Fourth Division, holding home games at Parque Municipal dos Desportos de Fafe, with a capacity of 8,000.... |
1990–91 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| Total | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 6 | |
| Benfica | 1991–92 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 4 |
| 1992–93 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| 1993–94 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 45 | 10 | |
| Total | 78 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 107 | 19 | |
| Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... |
1994–95 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 0 | - | 35 | 9 | |
| 1995–96 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 2 | - | 41 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |
| 1997–98 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 2 | - | 37 | 5 | ||
| 1998–99 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 14 | |
| 1999–00 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 48 | 6 | |
| 2000–01 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 8 | |
| Total | 215 | 38 | 35 | 10 | 25 | 2 | 275 | 50 | |
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
2001–02 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 33 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | 25 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 48 | 1 | |
| 2003–04 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |
| 2004–05 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2005–06 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| Total | 124 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 47 | 3 | 188 | 11 | |
| Benfica | 2006–07 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 45 | 10 | |
| Total | 43 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 67 | 11 | |
| Career total | 498 | 66 | 69 | 19 | 108 | 12 | 675 | 97 | |