Gustavo Adolfo Costas Makeira (born 28 February 1963) is an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player who played as a

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 ...

. He is the current

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of Primera División club Racing Club. Costas' career is mainly linked to Racing Club, where he played for twelve seasons in two different spells, and coached in three different spells. He has also coached in Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Bolivia.

Playing career

Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Costas was a Racing Club youth graduate. After making his first team debut in 1981, he saw the club's first-ever relegation from the Primera División from the stands, as he was nursing a

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

injury. Costas became a key part of the team that won promotion back to the top tier in 1985, acting as

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. He later helped ''La Academia'' to win the 1988 Supercopa Libertadores, their first major title in 21 years, they then went on to win the less prestigious Supercopa Interamaricana. Costas moved abroad in 1989, joining Swiss team

Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...

. He returned to Racing in 1992, playing for four seasons before moving to Gimnasia de Jujuy in 1996, where he played until his retirement in 1997 at the age of 34. Costas played 337 matches for Racing, scoring nine goals. He became the footballer with the most appearances for the club in the professional era, and the second of their entire history (only behind Natalio Perinetti's 407 matches in the amateur era).

Managerial career

Early career

After retiring, Costas joined the youth categories of his main club Racing, before being named manager of the first team along with

Humberto Maschio Humberto Dionisio Maschio (; 20 February 1933 – 20 August 2024) was an Argentine-Italian association football, football player and manager who played as a forward (association football), forward or midfielder. At international level, he repre ...

on 17 December 1998. The duo left on 23 May 2000, after a 3–0 loss to

Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...

. On 1 July 2001, Costas moved to Paraguay after being named manager of

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...

. On 9 April 2003, after having altercations with the club's vice-president Juan Alberto Acosta, he resigned.

Alianza Lima

Shortly after leaving Guaraní, Costas was presented at Peruvian side

Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...

on 18 April 2003. He immediately led them to success in the 2003 Clausura, and then saw his team win the Primera División Peruana final against

Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...

. In 2004, Costas led Alianza to the Apertura 2004 title and another chance to win the final of the Primera División where they again defeated Sporting Cristal, this time 5–4 on penalties.

Cerro Porteño

Costas left Alianza in December 2004 to return to Paraguay, where he took over

Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...

. Under his leadership the club won both the Apertura and Clausura in 2005 to be crowned undisputed national champions. Costas resigned from Cerro on 24 April 2007, after disagreeing with an interview from club president Luis Pettengill.

Racing Club return

On 27 April 2007, Costas agreed to return to Racing Club for his second spell in charge of ''La Academia''. He was sacked on 2 December, after a poor Apertura overall.

Olimpia

On 12 December 2007, Costas signed a two-year contract to manage Olimpia back in Paraguay. The following 29 August, after a 4–0 loss to Universidad Católica, he was dismissed.

Alianza Lima return

On 19 December 2008, Costas agreed to return to Alianza Lima on a two-year contract. He led the club to the 2009 Torneo Descentralizado finals, losing to Universitario.

Al Nassr

On 18 July 2011, Costas resigned from Alianza to sign for

Al Nassr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

from Saudi Arabia. He was dismissed on 30 November, with the club sitting 6th in the league table.

Barcelona SC

On 11 April 2012, Costas switched teams and countries again, after being announced as manager of Ecuadorian side

Barcelona SC Barcelona Sporting Club (), internationally known as Barcelona de Guayaquil, is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of fo ...

on a one-year deal. He won the first stage which secured Barcelona a spot to the

2012 Copa Sudamericana The 2012 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes (officially the 2012 Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary international club football tournament organized by ...

2013 Copa Libertadores The 2013 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2013 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 54th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier international club football tournament organize ...

and the third stage of the

Ecuadorian Serie A The Liga Pro Ecuador Serie A, simply known as the Liga Pro or the Serie A (or the Ecuadorian Serie A to distinguish it from the Italian Serie A and the Brazilian Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Série A), or as Liga Pro Ecuabet for sponsorship re ...

. On 2 December, Barcelona won the second stage, automatically becoming the champion of the 2012 Ecuadorian Serie A. On 6 December 2012, Costas extended his contract with Barcelona until December 2013. He departed on 12 August 2013, after a poor run of results.

Santa Fe

On 16 May 2014, after nearly one year without a club, Costas was appointed manager of Colombian club

Independiente Santa Fe Club Independiente Santa Fe, known simply as Santa Fe, is a Colombian professional Association football, football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Estadio El Campín, El Cam ...

. He led the club to the 2014 Finalización title, but resigned the following 30 May, after elimination from the

2015 Copa Libertadores The 2015 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2015 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 56th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. ...

Atlas

On 27 November 2015, Costas replaced Gustavo Matosas at the helm of

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

side

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

. He was sacked the following 27 April, two matches before the end of the 2016 Clausura tournament.

Santa Fe return

On 21 July 2016, Santa Fe announced the return of Costas as manager. He won the 2016 Suruga Bank Championship and the 2016 Finalización titles, aside from also lifting the 2017 Superliga Colombiana. Costas resigned from Santa Fe on 9 June 2017, after a poor 2017 Apertura.

Al-Fayha

On 1 November 2017, Costas replaced

Constantin Gâlcă Constantin "Costel" Gâlcă (born 8 March 1972) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Liga I club Rapid București. Equally at ease as a defensive or central midfielder and possessing an a ...

as manager of Al-Fayha back in Saudi Arabia. He was sacked on 15 October of the following year, with the club in the relegation zone.

Guaraní return

On 6 June 2019, Costas agreed to return to Guaraní after 16 years, being presented four days later. He left by mutual consent on 28 May 2021, after a poor 2021 Apertura tournament.

Palestino

On 20 December 2021, Costas replaced compatriot

Patricio Graff Patricio Andrés Graff (; born 18 November 1975) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a left back who is the assistant coach of Alavés. Playing career Graff was born in Rosario, Santa Fe. He represented Rosario Central, Feyenoord, F ...

as manager of Chilean club

Palestino The term ''Palestino'' is the Spanish word for "Palestinian". The word "''Palestino''" is used in Cuba as a disparaging nickname for illegal migrants within the country. The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants ...

Bolivia national team

On 19 August 2022, Costas confirmed as manager of the Bolivia national team, effective as the following November, once his season with Palestino ended. On 23 October 2023, after a poor start in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he was sacked.

Third spell at Racing

On 15 December 2023, Costas was officially announced as manager of Racing for his third spell. On 24 November 2024, he won the year's

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...

with the club, their first international title in 36 years.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

;Racing Club *

Supercopa Sudamericana The Supercopa Libertadores (English: ''Libertadores Supercup''), also known as the Supercopa Sudamericana, Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually be ...

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 ...

Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...

runner-up:

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 ...

Manager

Alianza Lima *

Peruvian Primera División The Peru First Division (; known simply as ''First Division'', and Liga 1 Te Apuesto for sponsorship reasons), officially known as Liga 1, is the top flight of association football in Peru. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since ...

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 ...

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 ...

Cerro Porteño *

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Paraguayan Football Association, Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship ...

: 2005 Barcelona *

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Santa Fe *

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...

: 2014 Finalización, 2016 Finalización *

Superliga Colombiana The Superliga Colombiana (''Colombian Superleague''), officially known as Superliga BetPlay Dimayor due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización t ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

* Suruga Bank Championship:

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Racing Club *

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

References

External links