Douglas Costa

Douglas Costa de Souza (born 14 September 1990) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for A-League club Sydney FC.

[9] His home debut came in the return leg on 25 February; he came on as 53rd-minute replacement for Willian, assisting Jádson for Shakhtar's equaliser in a 1–1 draw.

[19] On 28 September, he scored a penalty, and assisted two Luiz Adriano goals in a 3–0 UEFA Champions League victory over Portuguese club Braga.

[33] He made a 62nd-minute substitute appearance, replacing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in Shakhtar's 2–1 extra time victory over Metalurh Donetsk.

[39] Following an underwhelming first half of the 2012–13 campaign, Costa came off the bench to score a vital goal in Shakhtar's 2–2 first leg draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League Round of 16 tie on 13 February 2013.

He made his debut as a starter on 1 August in the 2015 DFL-Supercup away to VfL Wolfsburg, crossing for Arjen Robben to open the scoring in an eventual 1–1 draw; he netted his attempt in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, but his team lost nonetheless.

Shortly before, Bayern president Uli Hoeneß, had accused Costa of attempting to earn himself an improved contract when Costa publicly revealed he was unsure about where his future lay and cited interest from the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Chinese Super League.

[61][62][63][64] On 7 June 2018, Juventus made his loan move permanent, signing Costa to a four-year deal for a fee of €40 million plus bonuses.

[61][65] On 16 September 2018, in a 2–1 home win over Sassuolo in Serie A, Costa was sent-off in injury time following an altercation with Federico Di Francesco.

The two players had clashed in the build-up to Sassuolo's 91st minute consolation goal, scored by Khouma Babacar, following a late challenge on Di Francesco by Costa.

As both players got up, Costa appeared to elbow Di Francesco and later attempted to headbutt him, before finally spitting in his face.

Costa was initially booked for the headbutt, but the controversial incident was later reviewed by VAR officials, who alerted the referee of his subsequent actions, and as a result, he was sent off.

Costa later wrote a public apology on Instagram, stating "I want to apologise to all the Juventus fans for this over the top reaction I had during today’s game.

"[66][67][68] Two days later on 18 September, Costa was given a four-match Serie A ban for his elbow, attempted headbutt and spit on Federico Di Francesco.

[75] On 10 February 2022, Costa joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy on a six-month loan from Grêmio as a Designated Player.

[78] On 26 August 2024, it was announced Costa had signed a 2-year deal with A-League club Sydney FC ahead of their 2024–25 season.

In November 2014, Costa was called up to the Brazil national team for the first time by coach Dunga, making his international debut against Turkey in Istanbul.

[82] In the team's opening match, he came on as a substitute for Diego Tardelli and scored a stoppage-time winning goal against Peru, his first for the Seleção.

In the quarter-final against Paraguay in Concepción, he replaced former Shakhtar teammate Willian for the final 30 minutes of a 1–1 draw, and then missed in the penalty shoot-out which eliminated Brazil.

[83] On 17 November, Costa scored his second goal for Brazil in 3–0 victory against Peru for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

[85] On 14 June 2016, then-technical director Gilmar Rinaldi for the Brazilian Football Confederation, "shortly after he was sacked", stated that Bayern would let Costa play at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

[87] Regarded as a promising prospect in his youth, in 2010, Costa was included in Don Balón's list of the 100 best young players born after 1989.

[88] A diminutive player, with a slender build and an eye for goal, he initially played as a forward or attacking midfielder in his early career, but later established himself as a versatile winger, capable of playing on either flank, and of adapting himself to several different formations, due to his energy and work-rate, as well as his powerful and accurate striking ability from distance with either foot; however, he usually favours the right wing, as it enables to cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot.

[57][89] Nicknamed the Flash, he is mainly known for his speed, agility, and explosive acceleration, both with and without the ball, as well as his dribbling skills, technical ability, creativity, and trickery in possession, which enable him to beat opponents in one on one situations.

[57][89][90][91] A creative player, he is also highly regarded for his crossing ability from the left flank, which makes him an excellent assist provider,[57][90] despite not being particularly prolific in front of goal.

Costa in training with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010
Costa playing for Shakhtar in 2011
Costa playing for Shakhtar in 2013
Costa playing for Bayern Munich in 2016
Douglas Costa in 2019 in Champions League
Costa on international duty, facing Russia in 2018
Douglas Costa about to cross the ball in a friendly against Austria in 2018