RUI WILL MAKE HIS MARK AT MILAN
After much thought and the intervention of AC Milan's President and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi himself, Rui Costa opted for the Rossoneri where he will also rejoin former Fiorentina coach Faith Terim who had signed for the club earlier this summer.
Opta decided to take a look at the Portuguese's numbers this season to investigate whether his skills and ability would fit in the already competitive Milanese squad.
With the departure of Gabriel Batistuta to join Roma at the beginning of the 2000-01 campaign, Rui Costa became Fiorentina's new captain and leader, a role that he claims "motivated him to carry out his very best" and following this year's performances there is no doubt that it did.
Fiorentina's former number 10 - who has been arguably the most sought-after player this summer - delighted the Viola fans with his skill and ability, leading them to secure their sixth Italian League Cup.
Rui Costa's inspirational passing earned him the title of the best supporting midfielder this season as he found a purple shirt with 81% of his passes - a ratio that has proved better than that of specialists such as Zinedine Zidane, Juan Sebastian Veron and future team-mate Demetrio Albertini.
The Portuguese international has also supplied his forwards with six assists and 89 key passes heavily contributing in making Enrico Chiesa the top Italian goal scorer in the 2001 campaign. Such trends should not prove hard to follow at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium where Rui Costa will have in front of him Andrei Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi - two of the most prolific strikers in the league.
When Brazilian international Leonardo decided to leave AC Milan at the end of the season, many fans feared that the team would suffer enormously from the absence of his creativity in the centre of the field. Nevertheless with the arrival of Rui Costa, creativity and skill are in safe "feet" as the Portuguese sensation boasts the most dribbles and runs 2000-01 - an impressive 303.
Shortly after joining AC Milan, Rui Costa confessed that although he was sorry to leave Fiorentina, he did not feel he could be blamed for his decision as he had given so much to the club over the years. Such a statement could have not been truer as Rui Costa has proven to a valid defensive support as well as an inspirational playmaker.
"Rui" in fact attempted 53 tackles and won 75% in 2000-01, a proportion that is considerably better than his future midfield colleagues Kakha Kaladze, Albertini and Zvonimir Boban who managed 72%, 56% and 53% respectively.
If during the last two years, AC Milan had adopted a very cautious transfer strategy, in which only the money available was spent, with the signing of Rui Costa the Rossoneri have gone way over their budget; "A mad deal", as vice-President Adriano Galliani said. Nevertheless, no one can argue that securing the Portuguese's services is worth more than any book-keeper's record!
