Portugal's Young Midfielder Samu Costa Moves to Saudi League

Portuguese national team midfielder Samu Costa, 25, has transferred to Saudi Professional League club Al-Nassr to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Al-Nassr, the defending champions of the Saudi Pro League, announced on the 9th (local time) that they have signed Costa from Spain's La Liga club Mallorca.

Through its social media channels, Al-Nassr announced, "The journey begins. Samu has arrived to fight for you."

Additionally, Al-Nassr, whose club nickname is the "Knights of Najd," posted a video showing a victorious knight in battle removing his helmet and armor to reveal Costa wearing the team jersey.

Mallorca also announced on its social media that it had reached an agreement with Al-Nassr for Costa's transfer and expressed gratitude to Costa for showing dedication and professionalism.

Born in 2000, defensive midfielder Costa made his professional debut at Portugal's SC Braga, passed through UD Almeria in Spain, and has been playing for Mallorca since 2023.

During the 2025-2026 season, he made 34 appearances in La Liga, recording 7 goals and 2 assists.

Costa has also been playing for the Portuguese national team since 2024, earning 7 caps in international A matches.

He was included in Portugal's final roster for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, where they reached the round of 16, and appeared as a substitute in the third group-stage match against Colombia.

At Al-Nassr, Costa will play alongside his senior Portuguese national team compatriots Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix.

Al-Nassr targeted Costa as a replacement for Marcelo Brozovic, who left the team after three seasons.

Meanwhile, veteran Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye, 36, who left Everton of the English Premier League, has joined Saudi Pro League promoted club Diriyah as a free agent.

Local media reported that Gueye signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional year.

Gueye spent a total of seven seasons across two stints at Everton, and in between played three seasons for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France's Ligue 1.

He has also made 136 appearances for the Senegal national team and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021.

(Photo: Al-Nassr club SNS, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.