For a first World Cup, identity matters as much as depth. Costa appears to be one of Cape Verde’s most important players, and that status can carry real weight when a squad is being built for a short, high-pressure competition.
A defender of his profile offers more than fitness alone:
For a smaller football nation, proven quality is hard to leave behind. Even if Costa is not ready for heavy minutes immediately, his presence alone could change how Cape Verde manage matches.
There is no hiding from the gamble. An ACL recovery is rarely straightforward, and the report says Cape Verde are effectively trusting a player who has only just reappeared. That creates two problems.
First, match sharpness cannot be rebuilt in a hurry. Second, tournament football punishes hesitation, especially for central defenders. If Costa is asked to play before he is fully settled, Cape Verde could be relying on reputation more than rhythm.
The update also points to a squad shaped by Cape Verde’s diaspora, a long-running feature of the national team setup. That broad player pool has helped the country compete above its size, and it now underpins this World Cup push.
The next question is simple: can Costa build enough minutes to justify the call? With Group H offering little room for error and Spain among the opposition, his condition may become one of the defining storylines of Cape Verde’s first World Cup campaign.