COSTINHA made his Portugal debut alongside Cristiano Ronaldo but now flies the skies as a flight attendant.
It was back in February 2001 that Costinha and Ronaldo made their debut's together for Portugal's Under-15s against South Africa.
Costinha, a young midfielder, played alongside Ronaldo who scored in the 2-1 victory.
Since then, their lives have taken very different paths.
Ronaldo, 38, has gone on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game and is still scoring goals to this day, recently becoming the first player in men's football to score 100 competitive international goals.
Costinha in contrast quit football at 25 and started a career in aviation.
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The 37-year-old is now a flight attendant and counts Roma boss Jose Mourinho amongst his recent customers.
Speaking to Maisfutebol he said: "Football in the lower divisions is very physical, it started to bring me problems, I was constantly injured.
"When I saw that I was no longer going to reach a high level, that I was unable to do so, I made the conscious decision to leave. Many let themselves be dragged along too late, you even had legitimacy for that, to believe, because I had a very promising start.
"But when I realised that it wasn’t going to be as good as I thought, I focused on other solutions."
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The former Vitoria man made 13 international appearances for various Portuguese youth teams making his way up to U-20 level.
Costinha called time on his career in 2011 following stints in the lower divisions of Portuguese and Spanish football.
He added: " I started working here for another insurance company, MAPFRE, for four years, in the field of travel assistance. In the meantime, Marco Lanca, also a former player, challenged me to something that had always piqued my interest: aviation.
"I love to travel, discover contrasting realities like Sao Tome and Principe or New York, where I was recently, and then return to our Portugal. It is a career that excites me, although I was away from the company for two years before returning permanently."
Looking back on his football career Costinha is still immensely proud that he made his debut alongside Ronaldo.
He said: "I think that the most emblematic moment of his career was really the first game for the national team, in the Under-15s. Even today, I get goosebumps when I hear the anthem.
"Of course, it becomes even more emblematic because Cristiano Ronaldo also made his debut that day, although we were far from knowing how far he would go."
He added: " At the time, he was a much more virtuous player and was already on a much higher level than the others.
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"Deep down, I feel privileged. I had the opportunity to play football and we have to be aware that it is not for everyone, it is not easy to make a career in football. I prefer to see the glass half full.
"Nowadays, I am privileged, lucky, because I have another dream profession."
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