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Players: Abel Freddy Adu H. Almeida Pablo Aimar Bruno Alves Anderson J. Andrade N. Assis Vitor Baia Boa Morte Bosingwa M. Caneira Cardozo R. Carvalho Ze Castro Jorge Costa Rui Costa Conceicao Costinha F. Couto M. da Costa Dady Danny Deco Derlei Di Maria C. Martins Y. Djalo Duda P. Emanuel M. Fernandes P. Ferreira Luis Figo Luis Filipe Nuno Gomes L. Gonzalez Helton Izmailov Karagounis Katsouranis Liedson L. Lopez Luisao David Luiz Makukula Maniche Mantorras F. Meira R. Meireles P. Mendes Miguel Miguelito Moreira J. Moutinho Nani Nelson R. Patricio Pauleta C. Peixoto Pepe Petit Pereirinha Joao Pinto H. Postiga Polga Quaresma Quim J. Ribeiro Ricardo R. Rocha F. Rochemback C. Rodriguez Ronaldo Romagnoli P. Sousa Simao Tarik Tiago J. Tomas Tonel Miguel Veloso Hugo Viana Vukcevic Abel Xavier H. Yebda Select player

Player profile: Manuel da Costa

Full name: Manuel Marouan da Costa Trindade

Position: Defender

Date of Birth: 6 May 1986

Birthplace: Saint-Max, France

Born in France to a Portuguese father and a Moroccan mother, Manuel da Costa is very much seen as part of the future of the Portuguese international setup.

His reading of the game, positional play, strong physical attributes and ability to play across the backline have seen the young defender’s name feature regularly in the scouting reports of some of Europe’s top clubs.

Manuel da Costa began his career with AS Nancy, a relatively small club from the region of Lorraine in north-eastern France, making his debut at the age of 19 during the 2005/06 season. Perhaps the biggest memory of his time at the Stade Marcel Picot was his crucial goal in the semi-finals as Nancy won the French League Cup in May 2006.

With the football associations of both France and Portugal taking an interest in the young defender following his impressive form in Ligue 1, da Costa surprised some by accepting a call to play for the Portuguese under-20 side at the Toulon tournament in May 2006, turning down the country in which he was born and raised.

Plentiful offers

As word of his talent spread across Europe, da Costa soon found himself the subject of several offers. Ultimately, he opted for Dutch champions PSV, joining in a €1m deal, with the club offering both European football and a well recognized reputation for developing young talent.

He was eased into life in Eindhoven, but after scoring on his debut – a 3-1 win over title rivals AZ in October 2006 – da Costa quickly established himself as a regular member of the first team at the Phillips Stadium, particularly in the team’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

He ended his first season in the Eredivisie with a Dutch league title, after which da Costa was one of few players to impress for his country in Portugal’s disappointing 2007 European Championship campaign in Holland.

Chelsea link

Throughout the 2006/07 campaign, speculation had began to mount that da Costa’s ability had caught the eye of then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, while some of Italy’s top clubs have also shown an interest, but the defender agreed to stay in Dutch football for another season.

It would only appear a matter of time, however, before da Costa makes the next step in his club career. Having been part of several of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s senior squads, a long-term career with the Seleccao das Quinas is widely predicted for one of Portuguese football’s brightest prospects.

CLUB APPEARANCES* GOALS Nancy 10 0 PSV Einhoven** 15 1

* League only
** Up to September 2007