The last target

Portugeese midfielder Rui Manuel Cesar Costa of Italian football club AC Milan smiles as he listens to questions during a press conference in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo, 12 December 2003, two day before the Toyota Cup, Europe/South America football club championship. The European champion will play with South American champion Boca Juniors of Argentine 14 December here. AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA

AC Milan playmaker Rui Costa has made the headlines for his opinions as much as for his qualities on the pitch.

At Euro-96 he suggested Portugal would be a favourite for the title if only they had a proven goalscorer... such as his then Fiorentina teammate Gabriel Batistuta.

A comment that infuriated then national team coach Antonio Oliveira: "If Costa isn't happy, or if he's missing his club partner, then he should apply for Argentine nationality".

That particular trait of openess - albeit potentially damaging to the well-being of the side - is, however, matched by equally honest displays on the pitch.

Portuguese players, from left, Rui Costa, Pauleta and Luis Figo, run during the first trainning session at Macau Stadium 18 May 2002 at the start of a two-week training session ahead of the soccer World Cup. AFP PHOTO EPA/LUSA MANUEL DE ALMEIDA

As one of European football's truly gifted playmakers, Costa is indispensable to the progression of the national side and in the run up to Euro 2004, (his third Euro), has been an ever present in coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's new look Portugal.

Tireless in his work rate, formidable when running with the ball he also has that killer pass.

At Euro 2004 he and Figo, flanked by Porto's Deco and Manchester United youngster Cristiano Ronaldo, will marshall a devastating midfield, possibly the most exciting one in the competition.

And the quartet will have a target man to aim for this time round in the form of Paris Saint Germain's free-scoring striker Pauleta.

Champions League winner

Portuguese midfielder Manuel Rui Costa (R) fights for the ball with French defender Bixente Lizarazu during the Euro-2000 semi-final match between Portugal and France at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, 28 June 2000.

He got his break at 19 with Portuguese side Fafe, where Benfica spotted him and made him part of the side that won the Cup in 1993 and the championship the year after.

Fiorentina's Portuguese player Rui Costa (R) is chased by Salernitana's player Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (L) during their Serie A match in Salerno 28 February. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

A move to Italy and Fiorentina followed where he spent seven exciting years providing the ammunition for Batistuta, winning however only two domestic Cups for their loyal services.

Fiorentina's financial ruin provided Rui Costa with an unexpected turn of events late in his career with a switch to sleeping giant AC Milan.

There he teamed up with Clarence Seedorf to serve the awesome strike force of Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi and together they won that footballing holy grail the Champions league in 2003.

They beat Real Madrid in the group stage, Inter Milan in the semi-finals and Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford, Manchester in the final.

Just ahead of the Euro Costa received the tonic of winning his first ever Italian Championship in May 2004, though Brazil's Kaka displaced him from the starting line up for much of the season.

Costa and Figo were a driving force behind Portugal's run to the Euro 2000 semi-finals, where only a disputed penalty to France in extra-time knocked them out of the competition.

Harder to stomach was the disappointment at the 2002 World Cup where Portugal were amongst the favourites, but with their golden generation at full maturity, they failed to get past the first-round.