| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hélder Wander Sousa de Azevedo Costa[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-01-12)12 January 1994 (age 31) | ||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2012 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2017 | Benfica B | 72 | (15) |
| 2014–2017 | Benfica | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Deportivo La Coruña (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | →Monaco (loan) | 25 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | →Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 35 | (10) |
| 2017–2020 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 62 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | →Leeds United (loan) | 40 | (3) |
| 2020–2023 | Leeds United | 25 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | →Valencia (loan) | 22 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | →Al Ittihad (loan) | 18 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Estoril Praia | 13 | (1) |
| 2025 | Yunnan Yukun | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009 | Portugal U16 | 11 | (0) |
| 2010 | Portugal U17 | 18 | (4) |
| 2011 | Portugal U18 | 14 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Portugal U19 | 11 | (4) |
| 2014 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (3) |
| 2014–2017 | Portugal U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | Portugal U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018 | Portugal | 1 | (1) |
| 2021– | Angola | 11 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 06:15, 20 August 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:00, 23 March 2023 (UTC) | |||
Hélder Wander Sousa de Azevedo Costa (born 12 January 1994) is an Angolan professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder orright winger for theAngola national team. He has also representedPortugal internationally from youth to senior level.
Starting his playing career atBenfica, with which he made a singleTaça da Liga appearance, Costa spent most of his career abroad, including atDeportivo de La Coruña inLa Liga andMonaco inLigue 1. He also spent several years in England withWolverhampton Wanderers andLeeds United, winning theEFL Championship with both.
Costa represented Portugal from under-16 all the way through to thesenior side, for whom he scored on his only appearance in 2018. In 2021, he scored on his debut forAngola.
On 11 August 2012, Costa made his professional debut withBenfica B in a2012–13 Segunda Liga match againstBraga B where he played 72 minutes as awinger.[3]
His first professional goal came on 23 August 2013, in a 3–0 home win overPortimonense, one of eight that season including on 23 November in a 4–3 triumph againstOliveirense in which he was also sent off.[4]
On 25 January 2014, Costa debuted withBenfica in a2013–14 Taça da Liga third round match againstGil Vicente, playing the final 13 minutes of the 1–0 win at theEstádio da Luz as asubstitute forMiralem Sulejmani.[5] He played no further part in the tournament, which Benfica went on to win. On 5 November 2014, he scored a hat-trick in theSegunda Liga with Benfica B againstOlhanense in a 5–1 home win.[6]
Costa came through the Benfica academy in the same age group as fellow futurePortugal internationalsIvan Cavaleiro andBernardo Silva.[7]
On 19 January 2015, Costa was loaned toLa Liga'sDeportivo de La Coruña until the end ofthe season.[8] He made six appearances for theGalicians, all from the substitutes' bench.
On 10 July 2015, Costa joinedLigue 1 clubMonaco on a one-year loan. He was signed alongside Benfica teammates Cavaleiro and Silva.[9] He scored his first goal in a Ligue 1 match on 8 November, opening a 3–1 loss away toBordeaux.[10] He also provided the assist forKylian Mbappé's first-ever league goal for Monaco in a 3–1 victory againstTroyes on 26 February 2016.[11]
Costa played 28 times and scored 5 goals in all competitions for Monaco during the2015–16 season, facing competition out wide from the likes of Silva,Thomas Lemar and Mbappé.
On 29 July 2016, Costa moved on a season-long loan toEFL Championship clubWolverhampton Wanderers,[12] for whom he made his debut on 6 August as a substitute in a 2–2 draw atRotherham United.[13] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1EFL Cup win againstCambridge United on 23 August,[14] and his first league goal on 17 September in a 2–0 win againstNewcastle United atSt James' Park.[15] Costa was also praised for his performance againstPremier League sideLiverpool in theFA Cup, with Wolves causing a shock 2–1 win atAnfield; Costa assisted on both Wolves goals.[16]
On 30 January 2017, Wolves purchased Costa outright for a £13 million transfer fee, at the time the highest-ever transfer fee paid by the club. Following payment, he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[17] After scoring 12 goals and eight assists in all competitions in his first season, at the annual end of season awards, he won the 2016–17 Wolves Player of the Season Award,[18] also receiving the Players' Player of the Year Award and winning Goal of the Season for a goal he scored againstCardiff City.[19]
On 22 November 2017, Costa scored his first goal of the2017–18 season in a 4–1 win againstLeeds United.[20] He received a winner's medal during the2017–18 EFL Championship, contributing five goals and six assists in the league over the course of the season.[21]
Costa made his first Premier League appearance on 11 August 2018 in Wolves' opening match of theleague season in a 2–2 draw againstEverton.[22] On 29 December, in a 3–1 win againstTottenham Hotspur atWembley Stadium, he scored his first Premier League goal.[23] In total during the2018–19 season, Costa made 30 appearances for Wolves in all competitions as he helped the side to a seventh-place finish, sufficient for qualification to the2019–20 UEFA Europa League.[22]
On 3 July 2019, Costa joined Championship club Leeds United on loan for the2019–20 season.[24] As part of the deal, Costa was to join Leeds outright in July 2020 on a four-year contract for an approximate £15 million transfer fee.[25][26] He was given the number 17 shirt, making him the first player since 2014 to wear it, after the shirt was brought out of retirement.[26][27] He made his debut on 4 August in Leeds'Championship opening day 3–1 victory againstBristol City,[28] and his first start nine days later in theEFL Cup againstSalford City, contributing two assists.[29]
Costa scored his first goal for the club on 27 August in an EFL Cup match againstStoke City, the equaliser that sent the tie to a penalty shootout after a 2–2 draw in normal time, with him also scoring his penalty in the 4–5 defeat.[30] On 30 November, in a 4–0 victory againstMiddlesbrough, he scored his first league goal.[31]
On 7 July 2020, Costa joined Leeds outright on a four-year contract.[32] Days later, Leeds earned promotion to the Premier League as EFL champions.[33] Costa made hisPremier League debut for Leeds in the first match of the season against reigning championsLiverpool on 12 September 2020, assistingMateusz Klich's goal in a 4–3 defeat away from home[34][35] and scored a brace a week later in Leeds's first home league win of the season, a 4–3 victory overFulham.[36]
On 6 October 2023, Costa departed Leeds by mutual consent.[37]
On 31 August 2021, Costa joined La Liga sideValencia on loan for the2021–22 season.[38]
In August 2022, Costa joinedSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ittihad on loan for the duration of the2022–23 season. Costa reunited with former Wolverhampton Wanderers managerNuno Espírito Santo. Costa scored his first goal for Al-Ittihad againstAl Taawoun on 26 December 2022.
On 30 July 2024, Costa successfully completed his medical at Estoril.[39] On August 1, the deal was made official, with Costa on a one year contract.[40]
On 23 January 2025, Costa joined Chinese Super League sideYunnan Yukun.[41]
Born in Angola, Costa started his international career in representing Portugal. He played forPortugal at the2013 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship,[42] and although he did not score in the team's run to the semi-finals, he was named in the Team of the Tournament.[43]
Costa also represented Portugal at the2014 Toulon Tournament.[44]
Costa received his first call-up to thesenior Portugal squad ahead of theUEFA Nations League fixtures in October 2018.[45] He made his senior international debut in a friendly againstScotland atHampden Park on 14 October, in a 3–1 win in which he scored the opening goal.[46] Portugal won the2018–19 UEFA Nations League, but Costa was not called up for thefinal four tournament.[47]
On 16 March 2021, Costa was called up to theAngola squad for matches in2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification against theGambia andGabon. He was eligible as he had only played a friendly for Portugal.[48] He made his debut in a2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at home toEgypt on 12 November that year, scoring the opening goal of a 2–2 home draw.[49] By doing so, he became the third footballer in history (behindAlfredo Di Stéfano andJosé Altafini) to score a goal on his debut for two different nations.[50]
Costa can play as awinger on either side of the pitch. He can also play as aforward. He is known for his skill, pace, trickery and creativity.[51]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2012–13 | Segunda Liga | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 37 | 8 | — | — | — | 37 | 8 | |||||
| 2014–15 | 23 | 7 | — | — | — | 23 | 7 | |||||
| Total | 72 | 15 | — | — | — | 72 | 15 | |||||
| Benfica | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Deportivo (loan) | 2014–15 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Monaco (loan) | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2016–17 | Championship | 35 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 40 | 12 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2017–18 | Championship | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 5 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| Total | 96 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | 109 | 19 | |||
| Leeds United (loan) | 2019–20 | Championship | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 43 | 4 | |
| Leeds United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 66 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 71 | 8 | |||
| Valencia (loan) | 2021–22 | La Liga | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 0 | ||
| Al-Ittihad (loan) | 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||
| Estoril Praia | 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Yunnan Yukun | 2025 | Chinese Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 310 | 44 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 339 | 50 | ||
| No. | Team | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Portugal | 14 October 2018 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 |  Angola | 12 November 2021 | Estádio 11 de Novembro,Luanda, Angola |  Egypt | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificafion |
Benfica
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Leeds United
Al-Ittihad
Individual
