Denilson Costa

Denilson Costa (born 10 June 1968) is a Brazilian and naturalized Honduran football coach and former player.

He is currently the second all-time top scorer in the Honduran Liga Nacional and was also the first to reach 150 goals. Now he is a teacher in Honduras. Costa along with Marcelo Ferreira and Justin Arboleda are among the only naturalized Honduran nationals to have played for the Honduras national football team.

Club career Born in Brazil, Denilson moved to Honduras in 1991 and made his league debut in September 1991 for Olimpia against Súper Estrella, scoring the only goal of the game. He spent his entire career in Honduras, except for short spells in Costa Rica with Limonense for whom he scored the fastest goal in Costa Rica's premier division history in December 1990 and Belén and in Guatemala with Heredia. He finished his playing career at Necaxa to become the club's manager a few seasons later.

He played 481 matches is Honduran professional football, which is still a record.

Team Season Games Goal Club Deportivo Olimpia 1991-92 12 11 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1992-93 26 12 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1993-94 24 7 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1994-95 5 2 Total 1992–1995 67 32 F.C. Motagua 1995-96 23 6 F.C. Motagua 1996-97 27 14 Total 1995–1997 50 20 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1997-98 A 21 7 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1997-98 C 24 13 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1998-99 18 10 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1999-2000 A 20 2 Club Deportivo Olimpia 1999-2000 C 21 3 Club Deportivo Olimpia 2000-01 A 22 8 Club Deportivo Olimpia 2000-01 C 14 5 Club Deportivo Olimpia 2001-02 A 19 7 Club Deportivo Olimpia 2001-02 C 18 6 Club Deportivo Olimpia 2002-03 A 18 6 Total 1997–2002 195 67 Club Deportivo Marathón 2002-03 C 22 10 Club Deportivo Marathón 2003-04 A 19 9 Club Deportivo Marathón 2003-04 C 18 2 Club Deportivo Marathón 2004-05 A 18 2 Club Deportivo Marathón 2004-05 C 14 1 Total 2003–2005 91 24 Club Deportivo Platense 2005-06 A 14 3 Club Deportivo Platense 2005-06 C 18 8 Total' 2005–2006 32 11 Atlético Olanchano 2006-07 C 14 0 Atlético Olanchano 2007–08 A 16 1 Total 2007 30 1 Career Total 1991–1995, 1995–2006, 2007 465 155

International career Denilson made his debut for his adopted home country Honduras in an October 2003 friendly match against Bolivia and has earned a total of 5 caps, scoring no goals.

His final international was a March 2005 friendly against the USA.

Managerial career On 6 March 2011, Costa made his professional debut as coach with C.D. Necaxa in the 0–1 home defeat against F.C. Motagua.

Personal life Denilson married Costa Rican Mirta Yorleni Ortiz whom he met while playing in Limón. She is a niece of former Costa Rican international Enrique Rivers. He became a Honduran citizen in 2002.

Honours

Player C.D. Olimpia Liga Profesional de Honduras: 1992–93, 1998–99, 2000–01 A, 2002–03 A C.D. Marathón Liga Profesional de Honduras: 2002–03 C, 2004–05 A