Francisco Costa Scores 14! Already 486 European Goals – More Than Gidsel and Karabatic Combined at the Same Age!
For the younger of the Costa brothers, this was his seventh Champions League match with 10 or more goals, once again confirming his status as one of the most prolific backcourt players in European handball.
Even more impressive is the fact that Francisco Costa, who has not yet turned 22, has already scored 486 goals in European club competitions!
Just how remarkable that achievement is becomes clear when comparing his numbers with those of two handball superstars – Mathias Gidsel and Nikola Karabatic.
Danish superstar Mathias Gidsel, one of the world’s best players, had scored 59 goals in European club competitions for GOG by his 22nd birthday. Legendary Frenchman Nikola Karabatic, a three-time Olympic champion and three-time IHF World Player of the Year, had scored 186 European goals by the same age while representing Montpellier and THW Kiel.
Together, Gidsel and Karabatic had scored 245 European goals before turning 22 – an astonishing 241 fewer than Francisco Costa has already scored!
Of course, differences in competition formats, the number of European matches played and their respective roles within their teams must be taken into account. Nevertheless, the comparison highlights the extraordinary scoring consistency of the young Portuguese star.
Costa has been Sporting’s main attacking weapon for several seasons, playing under his father and head coach Ricardo Costa.
Against Kristianstad, the left-handed right back was virtually unstoppable, finishing the match with an outstanding 87.5% shooting efficiency.
Sporting held a two-goal advantage at half-time (20:18) and extended their lead to five goals in the second half. However, the determined Swedish side fought back to create a tense finish before the Portuguese champions secured another important victory.
Sporting have already secured their place in the TOP 12 of the EHF Champions League, while Francisco Costa continues to build a remarkable statistical record that already places him among the most prolific young scorers in the history of European club handball.
And the most fascinating part? He is still only 21 years old.
