Alessandro Costacurta
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Alessandro Costacurta (born 24 April 1966) is an Italian former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a defender. Throughout his club career, Costacurta spent over twenty years with
AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
between 1986 and 2007, as well as a brief season-long spell on loan at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
. He is best known for his role alongside
Franco Baresi Franchino Baresi (; born 8 May 1960) is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining th ...
,
Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football executive and former professional footballer who played as a left-back or as a centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greates ...
, and
Mauro Tassotti Mauro Tassotti (; born in Rome, 19 January 1960) is an Italian manager and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a right back. After making his Serie A debut with SS Lazio, Lazio, he went on to play with AC Milan fo ...
, forming one of the greatest defences in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
and
European football UEFA competitions (), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and futsal. T ...
during the late 1980s and 1990s, under the success of managers
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan. Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded ...
and
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
. He mainly operated as a central defender, and was a leading exponent of the position, receiving International acclaim, winning 7
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
titles and 5 Champions League/
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
trophies throughout his career, along with many other trophies. Costacurta retired from professional football at the age of 41, on 19 May 2007. In his final match for Milan, he scored a goal from a penalty in a 3–2 defeat against Udinese, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Serie A, a record that was broken by
Zlatan Ibrahimović Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and Volley (association footba ...
in 2023 who also scored from the spot against Udinese aged 41 five months and 15 days. Along with his Milan teammates, Costacurta was also an important member of the Italy national side during the 1990s. He made 59 appearances for Italy, scoring 2 goals, and he participated in two World Cups (in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
), as well as a European Championship in 1996. With Italy, he managed to reach the 1994 World Cup Final, which was lost against
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on penalties.


Club career


Early AC Milan career and Monza loan

Alessandro Costacurta was affectionally known to his fans as "Billy", due to his thin physique in his youth, and his notable skill at
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
(as the local basketball team of Milan,
Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...
, was referred to as "Billy" during the late 1970s, the team's main shirt sponsor). Originally an AC Milan youth side product, during his professional career Costacurta would go on to play for the senior club for over 20 seasons, after a brief spell on loan at
Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...
in
Serie C1 Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions. History Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
during the 1986–87 season. Costacurta was already a young member of the senior squad during the 1985–86 season, but failed to make a single appearance. Before being sent to Monza on loan, Costacurta would make his Milan debut in the
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
during the 1986–87 season, but would not make his Serie A debut with Milan until the following year, under
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan. Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded ...
. Costacurta made his first
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
appearance on 25 October 1987 against
Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...
on the sixth matchday of the season. Milan would go on to win the match 1–0, as well as the Serie A title, but Costacurta received limited playing opportunities that season, due to the presence of the more experienced
Filippo Galli Filippo Galli (born 19 May 1963) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender. He is mostly remembered for his lengthy and successful spell with AC Milan, where he played alongside Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, ...
in his position. Overall, Costacurta managed 7 appearances in Serie A, and one appearance in the
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
that season.


Success under Sacchi and Capello

The 1988–89 season would see Costacurta gain more playing opportunities and appear more frequently for the club, as he would feature in Milan's 3–1 win over
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...
in the
1988 Supercoppa Italiana The 1988 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1987–88 Serie A winners AC Milan and 1987–88 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 14 June 1989 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, and was the first edition of the trophy. A ...
. He would make 26 appearances in Serie A that season, and would also win his first European Cup title after Milan defeated Steaua București 4–0 at the
Camp Nou Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
,
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Costacurta played the first 74 minutes of the final before being substituted by Filippo Galli. During the 1989–90 Season, Costacurta won his second consecutive
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
with Milan, defeating Benfica 1–0 in the final in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, and starting the play which led to
Frank Rijkaard Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a defensive midfielder. Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in footballing history, Rijkaard was described by British broa ...
's match-winning goal. He also featured in Milan's Intercontinental Cup win in Tokyo over
Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other ...
, and in the
European Supercup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
victory over
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...
's
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Costacurta also scored his first goal in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
during that season, in a 3–1 away defeat to Milanese rivals
Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Since 1 ...
in the ''
Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina (; named after the ''Madonnina'' statue on top of the Milan Cathedral), also known as the Derby di Milano (), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Inter Milan and AC Milan. In the past, ...
''. Milan would also reach the Coppa Italia final that season. In Sacchi's final season at the club, Costacurta would become a starting centreback alongside
Franco Baresi Franchino Baresi (; born 8 May 1960) is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining th ...
, as well as full-backs
Mauro Tassotti Mauro Tassotti (; born in Rome, 19 January 1960) is an Italian manager and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a right back. After making his Serie A debut with SS Lazio, Lazio, he went on to play with AC Milan fo ...
and
Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football executive and former professional footballer who played as a left-back or as a centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greates ...
, in Sacchi's four-man defensive line, which is regarded as one of the greatest defences of all-time. Costacurta would make 25 appearances in Serie A that season, and he would also win his second consecutive Intercontinental Cup and
European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
trophies. Under Capello's Milan, Costacurta continued to be a permanent member of the starting line-up, and he won four Serie A titles (including three consecutive titles in 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94, as well as another title in 1995–96), a Champions League title in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, an UEFA Super Cup in 1994, as well as three consecutive
Italian Supercup The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous sea ...
s in
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
,
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
and
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
. Milan also managed to reach three consecutive Champions League finals between 1992–93 and 1994–95. However, Costacurta missed the 1994 Champions League final win over Barcelona on 18 May because of a suspension, having been sent-off in the semi-final match against
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
. Costacurta also helped Milan to win the 1991–92 Serie A title undefeated, as Milan went on an Italian record of 58 matches unbeaten. He also played a key role in Milan's defensive line in the 1993–94 title, by only conceding 15 goals all season, as Milan finished the season with the best defence in Italy.


Post-1996 crisis and Zaccheroni era

Following Capello's departure after the 1995–96 title win, as well as the aging and retirement of certain key players, Milan faced dark times in their history. Milan were defeated in the
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
Italian Supercup The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous sea ...
final by
1995–96 Coppa Italia The 1995–96 Coppa Italia, the 49th staging of the major domestic tournament in Italian football, won by Fiorentina, took place from 20 August 1995 to 18 March 1996. First round ''p=after penalty shoot-out'' Second round ''p=after penalty sh ...
winners
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
, and the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons were negative, as Milan failed to qualify for
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
on both occasions. These fruitless seasons saw Milan undergo several managerial changes, including Tabárez, and the unsuccessful returns of Sacchi and Capello. However, Costacurta, through his joint leadership in defense alongside Maldini, would help Milan reach the 1998 Coppa Italia final, losing out to
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
despite 2–0 lead on aggreagate. With the arrival of
Alberto Zaccheroni Alberto Zaccheroni (; born 1 April 1953) is an Italian former association football, football manager, formerly in charge of the United Arab Emirates national football team, United Arab Emirates and Japan national football team, Japan national fo ...
during the 1998–99 season, Costacurta continued to be a key member of the starting line-up, and featured in Zaccheroni's new three-man defense alongside Maldini and
Luigi Sala Luigi Sala (born 21 February 1974) is a former Italian football defender. He played as a central defender. Club career In June 2001, Sala was sold to Atalanta for 7 billion lire, along with Gianni Comandini (30 billion) and Luca Saudati (18 ...
; during this time he usually played in the middle of the back three. Costacurta was also named Milan's vice-captain that season, behind Maldini, following the retirement of Baresi and Tassotti. At the end of the season, Milan managed to capture their 16th ''Scudetto'' win, and Costacurta's sixth in total, finishing ahead of Lazio by a single point. However, the next two seasons would see Milan undergo yet another trophy drought. Milan would lose the
1999 Supercoppa Italiana The 1999 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1998–99 Serie A winners AC Milan and 1998–99 Coppa Italia winners Parma. It took place on 21 August 1999 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. Parma won the match 2–1 to earn their firs ...
to
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, and would finish in third place in 1999–2000, and in a disappointing sixth place, outside of the Champions League spots, in 2000–01. Milan also suffered early eliminations in the first and second round of Champions League during those two seasons, and Zaccheroni would be sacked midway through the 2000–01 season, and replaced with
Cesare Maldini Cesare Maldini (; 5 February 1932 – 3 April 2016) was an Italian professional football manager and player who played as a defender. Father to Paolo Maldini and grandfather to Daniel Maldini, Cesare began his career with Italian side Trie ...
as a temporary caretaker.


Later career and success under Ancelotti

For the 2001–02 season,
Fatih Terim Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish people, Turkish professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. He is the manager of Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab FC (Riyadh), Al-Shabab ...
was appointed as Milan's coach, but after the first eight matches, and negative results, Costacurta's former Milan teammate
Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti (; born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Brazil national team. Nicknamed "Carletto" in Italy and "Don Carlo" in Spain, he is regarded as one of the greatest ...
was appointed manager. Ancelotti guided Milan to a fourth-place finish in Serie A, which allowed them to clinch the final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot, and ultimately qualify for the next season's Champions League. Ancelotti also helped Milan to their best ever
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
finish that season, reaching the semi-finals. Ancelotti's arrival and several new signings would bring about a new era of European and Italian dominance for Milan, and Costacurta would form part of another excellent defence, which included players such as Maldini,
Alessandro Nesta Alessandro Nesta (; born 19 March 1976) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Monza. Usually deployed as a centre-back, he is widely considered as one of the best defenders of ...
,
Jaap Stam Jakob "Jaap" Stam (; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all-time. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that w ...
and
Cafu Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu (), is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back. Widely regarded as one of the greates ...
. At the end of the season, in 2002, Costacurta's contract was expiring – he therefore decided to leave the club at age 36 following their American exhibition tour in the summer to pursue a Master's in Economics in the United States. However, Milan lacked defenders in their squad due to injuries, and
Adriano Galliani Adriano Galliani (born 30 July 1944) is an Italian entrepreneur and football executive who is the CEO of club Monza. He is also a senator for Forza Italia. He is known for being former vice-chairman and CEO of AC Milan from 1986 to 2017 ...
recalled Costacurta to renew his contract the night before the second leg of their crucial UEFA Champions League playoff match against Czech side
Slovan Liberec FC Slovan Liberec (), commonly referred to as Slovan Liberec or simply Slovan, is a Czech professional association football, football club based in the city of Liberec. The club is one of the most successful in the Czech Republic, having won thr ...
. Milan qualified with difficulty, winning 1–0 in Milan, but being defeated 2–1 in the away match, progressing only on away goals. Milan finished third in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
that season, and Costacurta won his first ever
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
with the club, overcoming
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
in the final. Under Ancelotti, Costacurta would be employed at both centre-back and right-back during this season. Despite difficulties encountered in qualifying, Milan reached the Champions League final that season, in the first ever all-Italian final against Serie A rivals
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
. On 28 May 2003, Milan captured the Champions League after defeating Juventus 3–2 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time. Costacurta started the match at right back, and was substituted in the 65th minute, coming off for
Roque Júnior José Vítor Roque Júnior (; born 31 August 1976), more commonly known as Roque Júnior, is a Brazilian football pundit and former player who played as a defender. He won 48 caps for Brazil and was part of the winning squad at the 2002 Wo ...
. This was Costacurta's fourth career Champions League title. In the following season, Milan were defeated in the
2003 Supercoppa Italiana The 2003 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the 2002–03 Serie A champions, and AC Milan, the 2002–03 Coppa Italia winner. It was the sixth appearance for Juventus (3 victories in 1995, 1997 and 2002) and the seventh for A ...
by Juventus on penalties. Milan defeated
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
1–0 in the 2003 UEFA Super Cup final, but lost on penalties to
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup final. Costacurta missed the decisive penalty in the shootout. However, Milan won the
2003–04 Serie A The 2003–04 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 102nd season of top-tier Italian football, the 72nd in a round-robin tournament. It contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988–89 season. With th ...
title with a record 82 points, with Costacurta, then aged 37, winning his seventh league title with Milan (only
Virginio Rosetta Virginio "Viri" Rosetta (; 25 February 1902 – 29 March 1975) was an Italian footballer who played as a defender. A hard-working player, he was known for his organisational skills, and for his ability to read the game and anticipate other play ...
, Giuseppe Furino,
Giovanni Ferrari Giovanni Ferrari (; 6 December 1907 – 2 December 1982) was an Italian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder/inside forward on the left. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, having won Serie A 8 times, as wel ...
and
Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is ...
have more Serie A titles, with eight titles each). In 2004, Costacurta was elected 50th in the UEFA Golden Jubilee online poll, which celebrated the best European footballers from the past 50 years. Costacurta began the 2004–05 Serie A season winning his fifth
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...
after Milan defeated Lazio. Milan would finish the season in second place in a closely fought title race against Juventus. Milan would also suffer a huge disappointment in the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. Milan reached the 2005 Champions League final in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
as heavy favourites over
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. At half-time, Milan were leading 3–0, but Liverpool made a second half comeback, scoring three goals to tie the match and send it into extra time. Liverpool ended up winning the title in the resulting penalty shootout in what became known as "The Miracle of Istanbul". Milan reached the semi-finals of the
2005–06 UEFA Champions League The 2005–06 UEFA Champions League was the 51st season of UEFA's premier European club Association football, football tournament, the UEFA Champions League and the 14th since it was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992. 74 teams from 50 footb ...
, only to be eliminated disappointingly by eventual champions Barcelona. Milan also finished second in Serie A behind Juventus that season, for the second consecutive season. However, both teams were found to be guilty of being involved in the 2006 Italian match-fixing scandal, and received point deductions. Juventus were relegated to
Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
, and Milan ended up finishing in third place, while the ''
Scudetto The ''scudetto'' (; Italian for 'little shield') is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous ...
'' was assigned to Internazionale. Costacurta was set to retire from Milan at the end of the 2005–06 season, but later signed a one-year extension at age 40. On 21 November 2006, he became the oldest footballer ever to play in the Champions League, in Milan's 1–0 loss to
AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...
, at 40 years and 211 days, topping the previous record held by Belgian goalkeeper
Dany Verlinden Daniël 'Dany' Verlinden (born 15 August 1963) is a Belgian retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Often referred to as ''De Muur'' ("the wall"), he spent most of his career at Club Brugge, having played into his 40s. Dany ...
at 40 years and 116 days. Costacurta's record was later broken by
Marco Ballotta Marco Ballotta (born 3 April 1964) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His professional career spanned a quarter of a century, but he was never capped for the Italy national team. He also held the distincti ...
, who on 11 December 2007, played a match at age 43 years and 253 days for Lazio against
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
. Costacurta began his final professional season with the club at age 40. During the season, he won his fifth
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
title with Milan. On 7 May 2007, at age 41, he announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2006–07 season. He remained with the club as a second assistant to manager Carlo Ancelotti for a short time afterwards. He made his final home start in Milan's 3–2 loss to
Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
on 19 May 2007, converting a penalty that marked his first Serie A goal since the 1991–92 season (15 years after his left-footed volley against Roma on 3 November 1991), and left the pitch near the end of the match to a standing ovation. With this goal, he became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A, at the age of 41 years and 25 days, surpassing the previous record held by
Silvio Piola Silvio Piola (; 29 September 1913 – 4 October 1996) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set, and he is regarded as one of the ...
, who in
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
–Milan, on 7 February 1954, scored a goal at 40 years, six months and nine days. Costacurta also became the oldest outfield player to play in a Serie A match. The only players to have played in a match at a more senior age were goalkeepers
Marco Ballotta Marco Ballotta (born 3 April 1964) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His professional career spanned a quarter of a century, but he was never capped for the Italy national team. He also held the distincti ...
(44 years and 38 days), Alberto Fontana (41 years and 297 days),
Francesco Antonioli Francesco Stefano Antonioli (born 14 September 1969) is an Italian former footballer who played as goalkeeper. He was the oldest footballer in Serie A until his club Cesena were relegated to Serie B at the end of the 2011–12 season, after wh ...
(41 years and 243 days) and
Dino Zoff Dino Zoff (; born 28 February 1942) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is the oldest ever ...
(41 years and 76 days). After the match, Costacurta's Milan teammates entered the pitch wearing a replica of his jersey as a tribute. With Milan, Costacurta won the ''
Scudetto The ''scudetto'' (; Italian for 'little shield') is a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous ...
'' seven times and the European Cup/UEFA Champions League five times, in
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
,
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
and
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, although he did not feature in the squad for the 1994 and 2007 finals. Costacurta also won a
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
, five Supercoppa Italiana, four
UEFA Supercup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
s and two Intercontinental Cups with Milan. He also managed to reach three more UEFA Champions League finals, wherein Milan lost to
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
in 1992–93,
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
in 1994–95 and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the 2004–05, with a total of eight finals reached and five won. He also reached two more consecutive Intercontinental Cup finals, where Milan were defeated 3–2 by
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
and 2–0 by Vélez Sársfield (where Costacurta was sent off in the 85th minute) in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, as well as losing out on the 1993 UEFA Super Cup to Parma under Fabio Capello, and the
2003 Intercontinental Cup The 2003 Intercontinental Cup was the 42nd Intercontinental Cup, an annual association football match contested by the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores competitions. The match was played on 14 December ...
to Boca Juniors under Carlo Ancelotti. Costacurta made 662 appearances for Milan throughout his career (458 in Serie A, 78 in the Coppa Italia, 108 in European Competitions, 5 appearances in the Intercontinental Cup final, 6 in the Italian Super Cup final, and 7 in the UEFA Super Cup final). He only scored three goals in Serie A, with his first coming in a 3–1 defeat in the Milan–Inter derby on 13 March 1990. The second came in a 4–1 over Roma at the San Siro, on 3 November, where he scored the fourth goal of the match, and his final goal was scored in a 3–2 defeat to Udinese on the final match of his career. Costacurta is the third highest appearances holder for Milan in official matches, with 662 caps; only Franco Baresi (719) and Paolo Maldini (902) have managed more appearances.


International career

Between 1986 and 1990, Costacurta made eight appearances with the Italian under-21 side, participating in two
European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
in
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
, where Italy reached the quarter-finals, and in
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, where Italy reached the semi-finals. A mainstay in the Italy national team throughout the 1990s, Costacurta played for his country in three major tournaments: the
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
and 1998 World Cups, as well as
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
. He received his first senior call-up under
Azeglio Vicini Azeglio Vicini (; 20 March 1933 – 30 January 2018) was an Italian football coach and player, who also served as the President of the Technical Sector of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). One of Italy's most important coaches during ...
on 22 December 1990, but he made his debut for the senior team on 13 November 1991, at age 25, in a 1–1 draw against
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
in
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
. He later became a regular first-team member under his former Milan coach
Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan. Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded ...
, who replaced Vicini in 1991 after Italy failed to qualify for
Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...
in Sweden. Costacurta scored his first goal for Italy on 4 June 1992 from a penalty in a 2–0 against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
during Italy's U.S. Cup run, where they finished in second place to the host nation in the friendly tournament. Costacurta was a starting member in Italy's defensive line at the 1994 World Cup. He helped Italy reach the final, putting in strong defensive performances alongside Milan teammate Paolo Maldini, in particular following fellow Milan centre-back Franco Baresi's injury, and fellow Milan right-back Mauro Tassotti's suspension. He notably helped a ten-man Italy to keep a clean sheet in their second group match against Norway. However, after missing out on the 1994 Champions League final through suspension, he also missed the 1994 World Cup final loss on penalties to
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, again due to suspension, after receiving a yellow card in the semi-final match against
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. Costacurta started in
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
for Italy, as they were eliminated in the first round, in a group with the two eventual finalists, the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Costacurta was once again a key member of Italy's defence in the 1998 World Cup under manager Cesare Maldini, starting in all five of Italy's matches and helping the team to keep three clean sheets. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-final to hosts and eventual champions
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on penalties once again after a 0–0 draw following extra time, even though Costacurta converted Italy’s third penalty. Despite Dino Zoff's intention to use him in the Italy squad for the Euro 2000 qualifying campaign, Costacurta retired from international duty in 1998, with 59
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
s and two goals, after Italy's elimination from the World Cup.


Style of play

Costacurta is regarded by many pundits, managers and players as one of the greatest defenders in history; he formed some of the most formidable defensive units of all time during his extensive career at Milan, alongside
Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football executive and former professional footballer who played as a left-back or as a centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greates ...
,
Franco Baresi Franchino Baresi (; born 8 May 1960) is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining th ...
, and
Mauro Tassotti Mauro Tassotti (; born in Rome, 19 January 1960) is an Italian manager and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a right back. After making his Serie A debut with SS Lazio, Lazio, he went on to play with AC Milan fo ...
in particular, but also other top defenders such as
Filippo Galli Filippo Galli (born 19 May 1963) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender. He is mostly remembered for his lengthy and successful spell with AC Milan, where he played alongside Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, ...
,
Christian Panucci Christian Panucci (; born 12 April 1973) is an Italian former footballer and manager. In his playing career he played as a defender. A versatile footballer, he began his career as a right-back, but was also capable of playing on the left; as he ...
,
Alessandro Nesta Alessandro Nesta (; born 19 March 1976) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Monza. Usually deployed as a centre-back, he is widely considered as one of the best defenders of ...
,
Cafu Marcos Evangelista de Morais (born 7 June 1970), known as Cafu (), is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back. Widely regarded as one of the greates ...
and
Jaap Stam Jakob "Jaap" Stam (; born 17 July 1972) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of all-time. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that w ...
. Costacurta was a tactically versatile defender who excelled anywhere along the backline, which allowed him to have a long and highly successful career, both at club level and with the national side, winning many trophies. Although he was primarily played as a man–marking
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
(or "stopper," in Italian) alongside Baresi throughout his career, he also occasionally played as a
sweeper Sweepers are small, tropical marine (occasionally brackish) ray-finned fish of the family (biology), family Pempheridae. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, the family contains about 80 species in two genus, genera. One ...
, as a full-back on either flank, and even as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. Costacurta was a complete, hard-working and experienced defender who was also gifted with good distribution and crossing ability, as well as a solid technique and first touch, which he developed further as his career progressed, despite not initially being the most naturally skilful player on the ball; this enabled him to be comfortable in possession, carry the ball forward into midfield, and start attacking plays from the back-line. He was a tenacious yet disciplined defender with fast reactions who was known in particular for his exceptional tactical intelligence as well as his timing and strong, precise tackling ability. He was also quick-thinking, mobile, effective in the air, and had an outstanding ability to read the game and anticipate plays, despite his lack of notable pace, physical strength or athletic attributes, due to his slender build. He was an extremely precise and attentive footballer who excelled both at man marking as well as in a
zonal marking In association football, marking is an organized defensive tactic which aims to prevent a member of the opposing team (usually a striker) from taking control of the ball. Several marking strategies exist in football, and they mostly differ from e ...
system, due to his excellent positional and organisational sense, communication, awareness and his ability to play the offside trap effectively. Despite being a defender, he was an accurate
penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...
taker who often took penalties for his team in shoot-outs. He also stood out for his class, leadership and professionalism on the pitch, as well as his longevity throughout his career. In July 2014, compatriot and 2006 Ballon d'Or winner
Fabio Cannavaro Fabio Cannavaro (; born 13 September 1973) is an Italian professional association football, football coach and former player who last was the head coach of Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb. He is regarded as one of the greatest De ...
described Costacurta as the best defender with whom he had ever played. In 2015, ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' included him at number two in their list of "The top 20 most under-rated footballers of all time."


Post-playing and managerial career

After his retirement, in 2007–08 Costacurta was a member of Carlo Ancelotti's coaching staff at Milan as a technical assistant, while earning his own coaching badges. At the end of the season, he successfully earned his badges and various Italian media reported that he was pursuing a managerial role of his own. However, he refused a position at
Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
offered by new club owner Luca Pomponi immediately after the completion of his takeover of the club, citing his need to remain at Milan in order to stay at home and take care of his son while his wife was on tour with the theater. On 27 October 2008, Costacurta was unveiled as new coach of Serie B promotion candidates
Mantova Mantua ( ; ; Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2017, it was named as the "European C ...
, then 13th in the table, following the dismissal of previous boss Giuseppe Brucato. However, his time at Mantova proved to be unsuccessful, as he failed to improve Mantova's results and ultimately leading him to tend his resignation from the coaching post following a 1–0 loss to
Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
that left his club only four points above the relegation zone. In 2010 he was hired by
Sky Italia Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo, and Sky TG24. Pay TV services on the Sky ...
as a football
pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...
, becoming one of the main sports personalities from the TV channel and being featured in many of the channel's shows.


Personal life

Costacurta is married to former
Miss Italia Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest, in 1939, many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History Early ...
Martina Colombari, and has one son, Achille. Costacurta is known for his vocal criticism of homophobia and discrimination against women. In a 2012 interview with Italian newspaper ''
Il Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'', he stated that footballers should be allowed to be open about their sexuality. On 26 July 2021, his mother, Margherita Beccegato, died in a car accident at the age of 87.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial


Honours


Player

AC Milan *
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04 *
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
: 2002–03 *
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...
:
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
,
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
,
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
* European Cup/UEFA Champions League: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2006–07 * European Super Cup/UEFA Super Cup:
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
,
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
* Intercontinental Cup:
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
,
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
Italy *
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
runners-up:
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
Individual * Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2000 *
UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll The UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll is the popular name for an Opinion poll, online poll conducted in 2004 by UEFA as part of their Golden Jubilee celebrations, celebrating the best European Association football, footballers from the fifty previous years. ...
: #50 *AC Milan Hall of Fame


Notes


References


External links


Profile at ACMilan.com



View from America
– BBC Sport, 8/3/04 *

– UEFA.com, 5/20/07 * *
Profile at FIGC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costacurta, Alessandro 1966 births Living people Footballers from the Province of Varese Italian men's footballers Italy men's under-21 international footballers Italy men's international footballers Men's association football central defenders AC Milan players AC Monza players Serie A players 1994 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 1996 players 1998 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Champions League–winning players Italian football managers Mantova 1911 managers 20th-century Italian sportsmen