The Lion City Sailors have made their fair share of inspired overseas signings over the years — and Portuguese full-back Diogo Costa looks well on course to join that illustrious list.

The 21-year-old joined the Sailors in January 2025 on loan from Portuguese top-flight side FC Famalicão, and has since cemented himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Known for his marauding runs down the flank, pinpoint crosses, and quality set-piece deliveries, Diogo has quickly endeared himself to the Sailors faithful with a string of standout performances — both on the domestic front and on the continental stage.

“I’m really happy here, especially with how well the team is doing. We’re in the fight for three titles and I just try to give my best in every game. Right now, everything’s going great,” said Diogo.

Having spent his entire career in Portugal until now, the move to Singapore was Diogo’s first foray abroad. A product of his hometown club Famalicão, he also enjoyed a brief loan stint at Académica de Coimbra before making the switch to Southeast Asia.

While Diogo was thrown straight into the thick of things — making his league debut against Geylang International just a day after he was unveiled — he handled it with composure beyond his years, a sign of things to come.

“Your debut is always special. Geylang are a good side who play intense football, but we’re the Lion City Sailors — we go into every match expecting to win,” he said confidently.

Diogo featured for 66 minutes on his debut and showed plenty of intent despite being in unfamiliar surroundings. That promising display quickly earned him the trust of Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković, who began turning to the Portuguese left-back in increasingly important fixtures.

The Vila Nova de Famalicão native seized his opportunity with both hands. On his Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two debut — an away clash against Muangthong United in the Round of 16 first leg — Diogo made an instant impact by earning a penalty which Maxime Lestienne converted. From that point on, there was no looking back.

He has since started every ACL Two match and continued to rise to the occasion, notably grabbing the headlines with two assists in a 2-0 semi-final first leg victory over Sydney FC. Since joining the Sailors, he has racked up an impressive 10 assists across all competitions.

“I see myself as a team player. The fans can tell that I enjoy both attacking and defending,” said Diogo, who registered a hat-trick of assists in an SPL clash against the Young Lions last month.

“I work on both aspects of my game every week. The assists are coming now, but I believe the goals will follow too. I’m aiming to become a complete player.”

Amid all the buzz surrounding the Sailors’ ACL Two run, attention now shifts back to the Singapore Premier League (SPL) — with a clash against Geylang at Our Tampines Hub (OTH) on Sunday, 4 May.

The fixture marks the start of a decisive month for the Sailors, who are gunning for an unprecedented treble by the end of May.

For Diogo, it will be a familiar opponent. Having made his SPL debut against Geylang, Sunday’s match will mark his third encounter with the Eagles this season — including a Singapore Cup meeting. Despite Geylang managing just one win in their last six outings, he is not taking anything for granted.

“They’re still third in the league, so that says a lot,” said Diogo. “I know from experience they’re not an easy team to face. But this is the final stretch of the season, and we’ve got that extra motivation to push for the SPL title.”

Remarkably, Sunday’s fixture will be the Sailors’ 51st match across all competitions — a testament to a gruelling yet immensely rewarding season.

Adding to the boost ahead of this crucial clash is the return of club captain Hariss Harun, who missed the previous outing through suspension. The 34-year-old recently added a new milestone to his illustrious career by being elected Vice-President of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

With a near full-strength squad at his disposal, Ranko’s men will be targeting nothing less than three points as they continue their SPL title push — and Diogo is determined to keep up his strong form in the season’s final stretch.

“It’s been a great season so far,” said Diogo. “We’re so close to the title, and we want to win it for our incredible fans. I’m really happy here in Singapore — the city, the people, everything suits me well.

“We’ll see what happens next season, but I’d definitely be happy to stay. My focus now is on the team and helping us to win every trophy possible.”