After breaking through the untitled drought in 2017, Lima Alliance Over the next two years, he nearly repeated the court. Led by Pablo Bengoechea, who only left office in early 2019, the blue and whites had their best season of the decade. Among the most famous names of the team that lost the national final against Sporting Cristal Thomas Costa, the Argentine midfielder with a long international career. The popular “Tomy” already knew Professor Bengoechea from his time in Peñarol.
Tomás Costa was one of the most experienced football players in the Alianza Lima squad. Both on and off the field, he was considered a good leader by a number of fans and players, even though he ended his time at the club as a substitute. His experience in Europe with Porto and CFR Cluj, where he even played in the Champions League, was very valuable to be able to perform properly in Liga 1 and to contribute to the tournament in general.
Tomás Costa and his time at Alianza Lima
A few weeks after his 33rd birthday, Tomás Costa was officially announced as a new Alianza Lima player on January 4, 2018. The Argentine arrived in his country after a brief stint at Olimpo and his signing raised great expectations among the clubs that played there. Despite scoring just two goals with Alianza, Costa was characterized by his good size and sure-footedness, as well as a very powerful long-range shot out of.
Tomás Costa no longer had the momentum he had when he played in Europe or at the Catholic University, but he had enough level for Pablo Bengoechea to use him uncontested in 2018. In the usual 4-3-2-1 used by the Uruguayan, Costa was practically immobile as an anchor, followed a little later notably by Rinaldo Cruzado and Maximiliano Lemos.
Tomás Costa played twice with Alianza Lima in the Copa Libertadores. Photo: AFP
This is how the Argentine midfielder ended his first year in Alianza with 2,310 minutes played in 39 games for the local tournament and 517 minutes in 6 Copa Libertadores games. The following year he started again with the Libertadores, where he even scored a goal against Palestino. However, he alternated with Miguel Ángel Russo in the opening between starting and substituting. After Pablo Bengoechea’s return, Costa barely added any minutes in the Clausura.
What happened to Tomas Costa?
Tomás Costa left Alianza Lima after the end of the 2019 season and did not play for any other team at a professional level. After an absence of more than half a year, he announced on September 24, 2020 at the age of 35 through a post on his Instagram that he was retiring from football. Several fans of the teams he played for showed him their support and gratitude and wished him luck in this new chapter of his life.
Tomás Costa turned his hobby, paddle tennis, into his main activity as a professional. Photo: Argentine Padel Federation
For Tomás Costa, however, this was not a retirement from his sporting activities. A few months ago, in an interview with Diario Olé, he told that he is now a professional paddle tennis player, a sport that he has practiced all his life alongside football. “Tomy” lives with his family in Rosario, studies Administrative and Sports Management and plays in the second category of Argentine padel. In 2022 he won a national third division tournament.