Fact Check: Diogo Costa did not credit match-winning penalty saves to Ronaldo; claim is false

Hyderabad: Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa described his performance against Slovenia on Monday as the best game of his life, having saved three penalties to take his team into the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. A viral claim surfaced suggesting that Costa credited his penalty saves to Cristiano Ronaldo’s instructions.

A Threads user shared the photo of Cristiano hugging Diogo Costa with the caption “Diogo Costa: People think I saved those penalties, but to be honest, it was all because of Cristiano Ronaldo. Before the shootout, Cristiano Ronaldo handed me a paper with instructions written on it. I just followed those instructions and dived in the exact directions. The rest is history. Euro 2024”

The claim can be seen on Facebook with the same caption.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

We conducted a keyword search for credible sources to check if Diogo Costa made such a statement, and found no results.

Additionally, an original video response from Diogo Costa, posted by CGTN Sports Scene titled ‘Diogo Costa on his penalty heroics & on Ronaldo after his 1st penalty miss｜Portugal｜EURO 2024,’ shows Costa giving credit to his techniques, training, and analysis, specifically emphasising his own instincts.

In the 42-second video, Costa is heard saying, “As Pepe said at the press conference, we are a family. Just as Cristiano missed the penalty, just as I have made mistakes, as everyone knows, the most important thing is always what we do next. As Pepe said, we’re a family and we’re here to stick together.”

Furthermore, we found an article by The Business Standard titled “The ‘game of my life,’ says Portugal Euros penalty hero Costa.”

The report quotes Costa saying, “I just went with my gut. Of course, we analyzed the shooters, but players change their minds and the way they shoot. I had to go with my gut; that’s what I felt. I am very, very happy, and I am very excited to help the team.” He also mentioned that this might be the best game of his life, possibly the game where he was most useful.

Hence, the claim is false. There are no credible sources or verified interviews where Diogo Costa said that his penalty saves happened on Cristiano Ronaldo’s instructions.