Douglas Costa

Douglas Costa de Souza was born on September 14, 1990, in Sapucaia do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A left-footed winger, he emerged at Grêmio, making his first-team debut in 2008. He scored in the Campeonato Brasileiro and gained attention for acceleration, dribbling, and a powerful shot from the right side. In 2010, Shakhtar Donetsk signed him, beginning a decade in which his club career was largely shaped by moves among European champions.

At Shakhtar, coached for much of his spell by Mircea Lucescu, Costa won five Ukrainian Premier League titles and three Ukrainian Cups. He also belonged to the side that reached the 2015 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where Bayern Munich eliminated Shakhtar in Munich after a scoreless first leg. Bayern then acquired Costa in July 2015, initially on loan with an option to buy. In his first Bundesliga season, he helped Bayern win the league and DFB-Pokal, producing seven league goals and nine assists in 27 league appearances.

Costa stayed at Bayern through 2017, collecting two Bundesliga titles, before joining Juventus on loan in July 2017. Juventus made the transfer permanent in 2018. Across his first Turin spell, he won three consecutive Serie A championships from 2017–18 through 2019–20. Injuries interrupted parts of that period. In that tie, he came on at halftime as Juventus overturned a deficit to win 2–1 at Wembley.

On the international stage, Costa made his Brazil debut on November 12, 2014, in a 4–0 friendly victory over Turkey in Istanbul. He was selected for the 2015 Copa América, the Copa América Centenario, and the 2018 World Cup squads. He scored Brazil’s late winner against Peru at the 2015 Copa América, a 2–1 victory. At the 2018 World Cup, he provided the cross from which Neymar scored against Costa Rica.

After returning to Brazil with Grêmio in 2021, Costa moved to Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy in 2022. In September 2023, Sydney FC announced his signing on a two-season contract, giving the A-League Men club a globally experienced attacker. He joined Fluminense in January 2024, re-entering Brazilian football at a club preparing as reigning Copa Libertadores champions. The move paired him with a team that had won the 2023 Copa Libertadores after defeating Boca Juniors in the final at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. His pace remained central to his identity as an attacking winger.