The diamond in a rough: Francisco Mota da Costa makes tournament debut at Poland/Sweden 2023

Aged only 17, Portugal’s right back Francisco Mota da Costa is one of the 12 teenagers that are taking part in the IHF Men’s World Championship and the youngest player in the competition, being one year younger than Iran’s Saber Heidari and Saudi Arabia’s Hassan Al-Turaiki.

Yet his name is already widely known throughout the world of handball, being dubbed the next best thing in the sport for years, basically since he started taking up the sport, encouraged by the passion of his father Ricardo, himself a former handball player and currently a coach, and his brother Martim, who is also in Portugal’s roster for Poland/Sweden 2023.

Although only 17 years old, Mota da Costa can already do spectacular things on the court. Take, for instance, his numbers in the EHF European League Men, where he plays for Sporting CP, scoring 110 goals in the past two seasons and being one of the top scorers in each.

Or his performance at the M20 EHF EURO 2022 last July, when he was the All-Star left back of the competition and its top goal scorer with 58 goals, helping Portugal seal the silver medal despite being two or three years younger than the players featuring in the competition. 

Individually, these performances might not mean much by themselves, but put together they paint the picture of a player who has the potential to become one of the best in the world in due time. And when the big call-up was made, Francisco made history once again: he was only 16 years old when he made his debut in the senior national team in a crucial doubleheader against the Netherlands, with the qualification for the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship on the table.

Now, Kiko, as he is called, is lighting up the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, making his debut at a senior major international competition with Portugal.

“It is an honour and a huge responsibility, but I have enjoyed every single moment of it so far. It is a big step in my career and I am honoured to represent Portugal and play for the national team at the World Championship,” says Francisco Mota da Costa.

While other players might be ushered in carefully into the squad at such a young age, coach Paulo Pereira had huge confidence in the 17-year-old right back, who made his debut in the crucial doubleheader against the Netherlands in the Qualification Europe Part 2. Mota da Costa scored six times in the two matches and his star started to shine even brighter.

Portugal are already at their second consecutive edition of the IHF Men’s World Championship, where they are present, and the aim is to constantly improve. Kiko Mota da Costa is just the next piece of the puzzle which can unlock plenty of potential for a team that also made their debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games one year ago.

“We are a very good team, we are feeling good and trying to deliver performances as good as we can because we really can do it, we can play good handball and show that Portugal are a very strong side,” says the Portuguese right back.

At Poland/Sweden 2023, Portugal started the competition with a loss against Iceland (26:30), but bounced back to take wins against the Republic of Korea and Hungary, clinching first place in Group D. However, their start in the main round has been marred by a draw against Brazil (28:28), with the European side losing a step in their bid for a quarter-finals berth, which would ensure the best finish in the competition.

Still, for the youngest player in the competition, at only 17, Kiko Mota da  Costa has shone at Poland/Sweden 2023. He scored 12 goals, including what could have been Portugal’s match-winner against Brazil, at 28:27, proving that he has ice in his veins and is a clutch player, never shying away from responsibility.

But what makes Mota da Costa really tick?

For starters, at club level and in the national team, he has played alongside his brother Martim, who is three years older, for a long time. The two complement each other excellently, both on and off the court, as Martim was also the All-Star left back at the M20 EHF EURO 2022 and is also present at Poland/Sweden 2023.

They are also playing together at club level for Sporting CP, developing an excellent relationship on the court, fuelled by the blood bond forged logically between the two brothers.

“I mean, who would not want that? It is an amazing feature to play alongside him and try to help Portugal win matches, to bring glory to our country. It is something we dreamed about and we are now here, so we will just play handball and try to win matches,” concludes Mota da Costa.