Rui Costa vs Per Mertesacker: Stats Compared
Attacking Midfielder, Portugal (born 1972, retired 2008) Ā· Centre-Back, Germany (born 1984, retired 2018)
Comparing Rui Costa with Per Mertesacker means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Strip away the highlights and the medal count tells its own story for each man. The raw numbers read 90 goals in 550 outings for Rui Costa (0.16/game), versus 15 in 550 for Per Mertesacker (0.03/game). Add playmaking to the mix and Rui Costa laid on 100 goals, Per Mertesacker 5. In major honours Rui Costa collected 4 ā headlined by 2Ć Coppa Italia (1996, 2001) ā whereas Per Mertesacker amassed 4, led by 1Ć FIFA World Cup (2014). One lifted trophies through dictatorial reliability, the other through resolute moments that decided finals. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Rui Costa's landmark level arrived around 2000 with a career spanning Benfica, Fiorentina, AC Milan, Benfica; Per Mertesacker's came around 2014 across Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Arsenal. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
153 words Ā· comparison angle: trophies
Player profiles
A wonderfully elegant Portuguese playmaker, Rui Costa was the creative fulcrum of Fiorentina's late-90s side before winning the Champions League with AC Milan.
āA visionary, effortlessly stylish playmaker celebrated for his weighted through-balls and elegant range of passing.ā
A towering, calm German centre-back nicknamed 'BFG' by Arsenal fans, Mertesacker started every match of Germany's triumphant 2014 World Cup campaign.
āA commanding, positionally intelligent centre-back whose reading of the game compensated for a lack of raw pace.ā
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons ā goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0ā100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 2Ć Coppa Italia (1996, 2001)
- 1Ć UEFA Champions League (2003)
- 1Ć Serie A (2004)
- 1Ć FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 3Ć FA Cup (2014, 2015, 2017)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1990 Professional debut for Benfica
- 1996 Won Coppa Italia with Fiorentina
- 2004 Won Serie A with AC Milan
- 2000 Reached the peak of his powers at Fiorentina
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Benfica
- Finished his career with 90 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 90 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours.
- 2001 Professional debut for Hannover 96
- 2014 Won FIFA World Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Won FA Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Reached the peak of his powers at Arsenal
- 2018 Retired after a final spell at Arsenal
- Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Rui Costa edges the comparison. The margin is a clear margin, decided mostly by a sharper goalscoring record.
Rui Costa edges it (a clear margin)
