FC Porto’s Five Diogos
By: Christopher De Sousa
Tags: Fc Porto, Football, Uefa Youth League, Liga Nos, Soccer

On September 13th, 2017 FC Porto u19 fielded an eleven in the UEFA Youth League (UYL) that featured five promising talents who all share the first name Diogo. All five, Diogo Costa, Dalot, Queirós, Leite, and Bessa, were born in 1999 and made up the entire backline and keeper. Porto won the game against Beşiktaş J.K. 5–1, with Queirós scoring two goals, Dalot scoring one, and Leite getting sent off. Now, three years in the future, each one of the Diogos have progressed a bit differently thanone another.

Diogo Costa — GK, FC Porto, Transfermarkt value: €5.00m

The youngest of the five, Diogo Costa joined Porto’s youth academy during the 2010–2011 season. He progressed throughout both Porto and Portugal’s youth teams playing at all youth levels for both club and country. In the summer of 2016, Costa won his first major trophy as the starting keeper for Portugal’s u17 European Championship winning squad. That same summer he made the step up from Porto’s u19 squad to the B team.

In the 2018–19 season, Costa was called up the senior squad and also started for the u19 UEFA Youth League champions. Although he didn’t make an appearance for the senior squad till the next season, Costa already had Porto supporters hoping he’d be the club’s next Vítor Baía.

2019–20 was Costa’s debut season in the senior squad playing a total of 15 games across the league and both domestic cups. Costa kept seven clean sheets and won the Taça de Portugal as the starting keeper in the competition. He was a calming presence in goal against rivals Benfica in the final, conceding only a to penalty, despite playing a man down for over half the game.

In 2020–21 he has taken over club legend Victor Baía’s coveted number 99, something that Baía himself approved of. Although Costa will likely continue in his backup role behind starting keeper Agustín Marchesín, expected him to become a starter in the next couple years, whether it’s for Porto or somewhere else.

Diogo Dalot — RB, AC Milan, Transfermarkt value: €12.00m

Diogo Dalot has the highest profile of the five, having already made appearances for European giants Manchester United and AC Milan. Dalot joined Porto’s academy at 13 years old and made his way up to the B team at 18. Similarly to Costa, he represented Portugal at all youth levels and featured in all of Porto’s UEFA Youth League squads until his departure from the club in 2018.

The talented full back made his league debut for the first team on February 18, 2018, when he came on for the final 16 minutes against Rio Ave FC. He played an important role for the club down the stretch of their first league title win in four years. When star left back Alex Telles went down with a knee injury against Estoril Praia, Dalot was the one to fill the role. In their very next game against Portimonense SC, he started at left back and provided two assists in an emphatic 5–1 win. Dalot also went on to play 90 minutes at Anfield in a 0–0 draw against eventual Champions league runners-up Liverpool FC.

Performances such as these clearly caught the eye of clubs around Europe, as Manchester United pried the then 19-year-old away from Porto for €22m. After only making 8 senior appearances for Porto, Dalot struggled for minutes at Old Trafford under compatriot José Mourinho. He only made 20 premier league appearances for United over two seasons, and has gone on loan to AC Milan for the current 2020/21 season.

His first couple months in Italy seem to be slightly more promising, especially in the Europa league. Dalot has played every minute in the competition so far, scoring once and grabbing two assists, as Milan topped their group. Dalot will look to improve his form and start delivering consistent performances for the current Serie A leaders.

Diogo Queirós — CB, FC Famalicão, Transfermarkt value: €3.20m

Joining Porto’s academy in 2010, Queirós has captained multiple youth squads for both club and country since then. He was even the captain of the Portugal u19 squad that won the u19 European Championship in 2018. Despite all of the promise he’s shown, Queirós has never featured for Porto’s senior squad.

He was sent to Belgium on loan in 2019/20 to gain first team experience playing for Royal Excel Mouscron. He started 19 matches for Belgian club, in what was a relatively dull midtable finish.

Returning to Porto after COVID-19 effectively ended the season in Belgium, Queirós had a unconventional preseason to convince manager Sérgio Conceição that he was deserving of a place in the first team. Ultimately Queirós ended up being sold to fellow Liga NOS club FC Famalicão for an undisclosed fee.

At Famalicão, he has only started in two matches, the only two in which he’s been in th squad at all. Turning 22 in early January, Queirós will be looking to receive more minutes in the new year and showcase the talent that made he wildly successful throughout his teenage years.

Diogo Leite — CB, FC Porto, Transfermarkt Value: €8.00m

Leite was only nine years of age when he left Leixões SC’s academy for Porto in 2008. Over the years, he has formed a solid backline partnership with Diogo Queirós for both Portugal and Porto’s youth teams. Leite broke into the first team in the 2018/19 season and moved up and down from the first team and B team until the 2019/20 season.

The Porto born center back is finally starting to win over a starting spot in recent weeks. In the wake of club legend Pepe’s absence in the 2020/21 season, Leite has been competing with Chelsea loanee Malang Sarr for the left sided center back position. After a top class performance in a scoreless draw against Manchester City, Leite has continued to start and perform very well.

It’s beginning to look like this could be the year that Leite could truly breakout and become the leader in Porto’s backline for years to come. He is exceptional at playing out from the back and reads the game very well.

Leite was close to a summer move to Valencia CF, but it never materialized. Porto supporters will be hoping that the club can hold onto the in demand defender, however it’ll be a tough ask if he continues his current form.

Diogo Bessa — LB, FC Porto B, Transfermarkt Value: €125,000

The least known of the five, Bessa came to Porto in 2010, leaving city rivals Boavista FC. Just like the others, he rose through the Porto and Portugal ranks, playing at almost every youth level. Now currently playing for Porto’s B team, Bessa is nearing the end of his contract. It’ll be interesting to see if he stays at the club past June 2021, as his progression has somewhat stagnated.

He’s featured in five matches this year registering two assists in Portugal’s second division. Bessa hasn’t been called up to the senior squad yet, and will try to win over a starting spot on the B team in 2020/21. He’s already made more appearances this year than the previous two, which shows he is currently on the right track. It’s unlikely that Bessa will be able to replicate the success of the others in this list, however there is still plenty of time for him to prove his worth.

Ultimately, FC Porto’s academy is known for producing many talented players. However, it’s a rare occurrence when five promising talents with the same name and age reach such a high level at the same club. With the majority of their careers ahead of them, look for some of the Diogos to be playing in some of Europe’s top leagues in the near future.