Quick Facts
Biography
Hugo Alexandre Esteves Costa (born 4 November 1973) is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a central defender.
Club career
A graduate of S.L. Benfica's youth system, Costa never appeared however for its first team, going on to spend the following four seasons in the Primeira Liga with Gil Vicente FC, S.C. Beira-Mar (two years) and C.F. Estrela da Amadora, being relegated with the second club in the 1994–95 campaign.
In the 1996 summer, he signed with Stoke City in the English second level, but left the Potters after only a couple of weeks and games, returning to his country with F.C. Alverca and remaining with the Lisbon outskirts side for the following five seasons, three spent in the top flight.
From 2001 to 2003, also as first-choice and in the top division, Costa played with Vitória de Setúbal. Subsequently, he signed for Germany's Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (division two), remaining in the country for two years and suffering relegation in his second.
In 2005–06, Costa returned to Portugal and joined U.D. Leiria, playing in only 16 matches in the top tier in three seasons combined – 12 of those came in his last, with the side ranking 16th and last. Afterwards, the 34-year-old moved to Cyprus with Atromitos Yeroskipou.
After just one season, Costa once again returned to his country, joining lowly C.D. Pinhalnovense. He left in the 2011 summer aged nearly 38, and retired shortly after.
Career statistics
- Sourced from Hugo Costa at ForaDeJogo
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gil Vicente | 1992–93 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| Beira-Mar | 1993–94 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1994–95 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 1 | ||
| Estrela Amadora | 1995–96 | Primeira Liga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Stoke City | 1996–97 | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Alverca | 1996–97 | Segunda Liga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | Segunda Liga | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 1998–99 | Primeira Liga | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2000–01 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 103 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 2 | ||
| Vitória Setúbal | 2001–02 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2002–03 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 2 | ||
| Rot-Weiß Oberhausen | 2003–04 | 2. Bundesliga | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | 2. Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| União Leiria | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006–07 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | Primeira Liga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 6 | ||
| Atromitos Yeroskipou | 2008–09 | Cypriot First Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Pinhalnovense | 2009–10 | Portuguese Second Division | 27 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 2010–11 | Portuguese Second Division | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 339 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 362 | 10 | ||