Diogo Costa #1

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On 23 December, Porto fans received the Christmas present they had been asking for: the goalkeeper renewed his contract until 2030. "I wasn't sure if I would ever be a football player for Porto, but that has always been my biggest dream", he said at the time. He now has the highest salary at the club, but his release clause dropped from €75m to €60m. A major transfer is still on the horizon, but Diogo Costa has been a worthy successor to Vítor Baía, both at club and national team level. European Under-17 and Under-19 champion with Portugal, as well as a Nations League winner, he now dreams of a World Cup title with the national team. He has been wearing the No 99 shirt at Porto but the Dragons' president, André Villas-Boas, recently asked whether he could play in the No 2 next season. That number carries an enormous importance at the club, traditionally worn by captains, and it would be a tribute to Jorge Costa, the former club legend and director who died in August after suffering a heart attack at the training centre.

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