During his speech, Villas-Boas highlighted the legacy of the former central defender, who would have turned 54 this Tuesday.
“Until recently, when he returned home, he was a leader like few others. One of the first to arrive, the last to leave, worried about everyone. He injected encouragement to the more experienced, to the younger ones, he taught them to walk with their heads held high. Jorge Costa was a great asset to FC Porto, to us and to me. He was, like few others, a true Porto symbol, respected in all dressing rooms, esteemed by successive generations of fans and feared by opponents”, he stated.
The president stressed that the tribute aims to keep the example of “Bicho” alive in future generations.
“We want not only to remember the athlete, but to keep his legacy alive in front of the new generations that will be formed here. Anyone who walks through these doors will see the name of who best personified the pride and responsibility of wearing this jersey”, he said, thanking the family for sharing “a great man and captain”.
At the end of the ceremony, in a more personal tone, Villas-Boas let his emotion shine through when remembering the death of Jorge Costa.
“Jorge Costa meant a lot to me and I deeply regret his loss. I brought him back to this house and ended up losing him here, in my arms. He was a great companion, a force of nature. We fought for this championship to be able to honor your father and immortalize him even more in the memory of FC Porto”, he declared.
The tribute ended with a heartfelt round of applause, in a moment of unity between players, managers and Jorge Costa’s family.