João Costa (footballer, born 28 March 2005)

Not to be confused with João Costa (footballer, born 1 March 2005).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Costa and the second or paternal family name is Cesco.

João Gabriel e Costa Cesco (born 28 March 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq. Born in Brazil, he is a youth international for Portugal.

João Costa

Personal information
Full name	João Gabriel e Costa Cesco
Date of birth	(2005-03-28) 28 March 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth	Umuarama, Brazil[1]
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Al-Ettifaq
Number	18
Youth career
2017–2019	Palmeiras
2019–2021	Corinthians
2021–2024	Roma
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–2024	Roma	3	(0)
2024–	Al-Ettifaq	13	(3)
International career‡
2023–	Portugal U19	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:13, 31 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:33, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Roma

Costa is a youth product of Brazilian clubs Palmeiras and Corinthians, before moving to Italy to join Roma in September 2021.^[2] On 5 May 2023, he signed his first professional contract with Roma, valid until 2026.^[3] On 30 September 2023, he was promoted to the senior Roma squad for Serie A matches.^[4] He made his senior debut for Roma as a substitute in a 2–0 UEFA Europa League loss to Sparta Prague on 9 November 2023. He scored his first goal for the team in a friendly match against Al-Shabab, contributing to the team's victory.^[5]

Al-Ettifaq

On 2 September 2024, Costa joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.^[6]

International career

Born in Brazil, Costa holds dual Brazilian-Portuguese citizenship.^[7] In October 2023, he played for the Portugal U19s in a set of friendlies.^[8]

Personal life

Costa is the brother of the Brazilian footballer João Cesco.^[9]