.png) Costa asZaragoza manager in 1987 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Costa Juan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1943-02-19)19 February 1943 (age 82)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Alicante, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jove Español | |||
| Villafranqueza | |||
| 1958–1960 | Hércules | ||
| 1960–1962 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1966 | Real Madrid | 0 | (0) |
| 1962–1964 | →Elche (loan) | 29 | (4) |
| 1964–1965 | →Córdoba (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 1965–1966 | →Hércules (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1966–1969 | Córdoba | 81 | (7) |
| 1969–1970 | Mallorca | 23 | (1) |
| 1970–1973 | Zaragoza | 59 | (13) |
| 1973–1976 | Girona | ||
| Total | 217 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 1960 | Spain U18 | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1976–1977 | Mallorca | ||
| 1977–1978 | Huesca | ||
| 1978–1981 | Deportivo Aragón | ||
| 1981 | Zaragoza | ||
| 1981–1982 | Girona | ||
| 1982 | Huesca | ||
| 1982–1983 | Palencia | ||
| 1983–1984 | Oviedo | ||
| 1984–1985 | Deportivo Aragón | ||
| 1985–1987 | Zaragoza | ||
| 1988–1989 | Málaga | ||
| 1989 | Elche | ||
| 1992 | Levante | ||
| 1992–1993 | Alavés | ||
| 1993 | Córdoba | ||
| 1994–1997 | Zaragoza B | ||
| 1997–1998 | Zaragoza | ||
| 2000–2001 | Zaragoza | ||
| 2002 | Zaragoza | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luis Costa Juan (born 19 February 1943) is a Spanish formerfootballforward andmanager.
Most of his professional career was closely associated withZaragoza, as both a player and a manager.
Costa was born inAlicante,Valencian Community. After rising to prominence in amateur tournaments held in his hometown, he signed withReal Madrid fromHércules CF at the age of 17, spending four years under contract with the club as a senior but never appearing in competitive matches – whose forward line included the likes ofFrancisco Gento,Raymond Kopa,Ferenc Puskás,Luis del Sol andAlfredo Di Stéfano – also being loaned four times to three teams, including fellowLa Liga sidesCórdoba CF andElche CF.[2]
In 1966, Costa left Real and signed for Córdoba on a permanent basis, following an unassuming spell with Hércules in theSegunda División. From 1968 to 1971 he suffered three consecutive relegations from the main division, with theAndalusians,RCD Mallorca andReal Zaragoza;[2] he amassed top-flight totals of 188 games and 19 goals, and closed out his career aged 33 after three years in theTercera División withGirona FC, having obtained his coaching license before he retired.[3]
Costa's first job in the top division came with Zaragoza, overseeing one game in the1980–81 season, a 1–1 home draw against Hércules.[4] After two complete seasons in the second tier, withPalencia CF andReal Oviedo, he returned to theAragonese for1985–86,[2]winning his firstCopa del Rey – 1–0 win overFC Barcelona[5][6]– and being fired early into the1987–88 campaign.[7]
In the early 90s, Costa worked in the lower leagues withLevante UD,Deportivo Alavés and his former club Córdoba. In 1994, he was appointed atZaragoza's reserves in theSegunda División B, whom he had already coached the previous decade.[8]
Costa was one of four managers in Zaragoza's first team in the1996–97 season, with the team finally ranking in 14th position.[9] He was in charge for the entirety ofthe following campaign, which finished with the side one position above.[10]
Having replacedJuan Manuel Lillo after the fourth round in2000–01,[11] Costa led Zaragoza to anotherSpanish Cup triumph, now againstRC Celta de Vigo.[12][13] The team could only finish 17th in the league however, being the first above the relegation zone (one of the few bright spots of the campaign was a 4–4 draw at Barcelona).[14][15]
On 22 January 2002, Costa replacedTxetxu Rojo at the helm of Zaragoza,[16] not being able to prevent top-division relegation (as last) having won only twice in his ten games in charge.[17][18]
Zaragoza