Three debuts in one week with Sporting Braga, then a first call-up for Guinea-Bissau to face Madagascar in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers: that is the story of Flinto Costa, a 19-year-old winger.
Flinto Costa made his first-team debut for Sporting Braga within the space of a week, in three different competitions, Maisfutebol reports: the Taça da Liga on 29 October, the Liga on 1 November, then the Conference League on 5 November. All three appearances came under head coach Franclim Carvalho.
Born in Guinea-Bissau, the 19-year-old has received his first call-up to the Guinea-Bissau national team for the clash with Madagascar in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. His journey began on the dirt pitches of Bissau, where he came through the ranks at Academia São Paulo, according to Portuguese Daily News.
73 minutes and a contract until 2031
Flinto Costa’s first-team appearances so far amount to just 73 minutes in all competitions this season, according to Maisfutebol. With the B team in the Campeonato de Portugal (fourth tier), he has 1 goal and 1 assist this season.
In June, he signed a contract until 2031, with a €40 million release clause, according to the same source.
From Bissau to Braga, a journey far from family
Flinto Costa arrived in Portugal in 2022 and first played for the youth teams of Desportivo Olivais e Moscavide before joining Braga in 2023, according to Portuguese Daily News. He left his family and his country at 15, as he tells it himself.
“Mum, your son is working to give you a better life. For you and for my brothers, I work day after day. It is not easy for a 15-year-old kid to leave his family, his country, to face a new reality. My dream is to stay in the first team, to make history and to win titles. I don’t want to be just another one to pass through the club,” he told Maisfutebol (translated from Portuguese).
His mother, Michel Costa, remembers a child who complained about working in the fields: “Flinto is a little fighter. I remember when we used to go and work the land, we dug with the hoe and he would tell me: ‘Mum, I’m tired of working the land.’ But then he would pick up the ball,” she told the same outlet (translated from Portuguese). He names Rafael Leão as his idol and Roger Fernandes, a player, as his example. He describes himself as a specialist in no-run-up penalties.
Madagascar away on 12 November
Flinto Costa’s first Guinea-Bissau call-up is for a trip to Madagascar in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. Kick-off is scheduled for 12 November 2026 at 20:00 (UTC+4) at the Stade George V, according to LiveScore.az.