Rute Costa renews contract

Rute Costa, goalkeeper of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's women's football team since 2022, renewed her contract with the Club until 2027.

"It's a special renewal, which was planned and in mind. Benfica is a big club, with great conditions. It's the best club in Portugal, without a doubt, and it's a special moment, and I'm sure I have a lot of work ahead of me too," said the athlete to à BTV.

At the Glorioso for two seasons, Rute Costa has won seven titles with the Eagles (2 National Championships, 1 Portuguese Cup, 2 League Cups and 2 Super Cups), and praised the "quality of work, professionalism and conditions, both human and material resources" found at Luz.

"Benfica is a top club, so in professional terms it was a great addition to my career," she said.

Challenged to identify "the most memorable moment" she experienced at Benfica, the goalkeeper didn't hesitate to point out "winning the fourth league title in a row", because it gave him "a feeling of enormous satisfaction on a collective and individual level, because it's a fantastic and unforgettable achievement in terms of his career, and because that game was also so exciting".

Last season, as well as winning the fourth national title in a row, the eagles also lifted the Portuguese Cup, the League Cup and the Super Cup, and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time.

Even so, Rute Costa's ambition is "to achieve more, to always take another step", not least because the club has "a solid structure, with a project for the future, which will certainly bear much fruit".

"Basically, we're all going to work to achieve more. In Portugal, we achieved the full quota [in 2023/24], and that was fantastic. A feeling of great satisfaction with what we've achieved, but we know that we want to go beyond Portugal, and we have other things to achieve in Europe and around the world, if possible," said the Portuguese international.

Rute Costa also underlined the contribution of Benfiquistas to the Inspiradoras' glorious career: "They are very important in this process of growth and affirmation of women's football and, without a doubt, the demands they place on us also help us to raise the bar. Keep supporting us!"