28 August 2007, by Marco Pereira

Costinha completes Atalanta switch

Former Porto midfielder to continue career in Italy

Former Portugal international Costinha has completed his move to Serie A side, Atalanta, signing a contract for three seasons.

The move comes as no surprise as the ex-FC Porto player had been released by Atletico Madrid after falling out with coach, Javier Aguirre.

The former Champions League winner has fallen on hard times since his departure from the Portuguese champions, which also included an unsuccessful spell and disciplinary problems at Dynamo Moscow, the club he was transferred to before joining Los Colchoneros.

The 32-year-old will look to resurrect his career in Italy. This will be his first foray into Italian football after playing in France, Portugal and Spain.

Costinha will also reunite with former boss, Luigi Del Neri, who briefly coached FC Porto before being sacked without playing a single official match.