Denilson Costa


Denilson Costa 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 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.
TeamSeasonGamesGoal
Club Deportivo Olimpia1991-921211
Club Deportivo Olimpia1992-932612
Club Deportivo Olimpia1993-94247
Club Deportivo Olimpia1994-9552
Total1992-19956732
F.C. Motagua1995-96236
F.C. Motagua1996-972714
Total1995–19975020
Club Deportivo Olimpia1997-98 A217
Club Deportivo Olimpia1997-98 C2413
Club Deportivo Olimpia1998-991810
Club Deportivo Olimpia1999-2000 A202
Club Deportivo Olimpia1999-2000 C213
Club Deportivo Olimpia2000-01 A228
Club Deportivo Olimpia2000-01 C145
Club Deportivo Olimpia2001-02 A197
Club Deportivo Olimpia2001-02 C186
Club Deportivo Olimpia2002-03 A186
Total1997–200219567
Club Deportivo Marathón2002-03 C2210
Club Deportivo Marathón2003-04 A199
Club Deportivo Marathón2003-04 C182
Club Deportivo Marathón2004-05 A182
Club Deportivo Marathón2004-05 C141
Total2003–20059124
Club Deportivo Platense2005-06 A143
Club Deportivo Platense2005-06 C188
Total'2005–20063211
Atlético Olanchano2006-07 C140
Atlético Olanchano2007–08 A161
Total2007301
Career Total1991–1995, 1995–2006, 2007465155

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
;C.D. Marathón