Hélder Costa

Following his move to Estoril, Costa's current-season form is down 72% on last season (Season 18→5), while his Rating eased 40→28. His peak season for form remains 2020/21 (Season 20).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2024/25	Estoril · 8th	13	1	0	6.72	28	5
2022/23	Al-Ittihad FCLoan · 1st	18	3	1	6.86	40	18
2021/22	ValenciaLoan · 9th	22	0	1	6.5	57	5
2021/22	Leeds · 17th	1	0	0	6.7	49	0
2020/21	Leeds · 9th	22	3	3	6.4	71	20
2019/20	LeedsLoan	43	4	4	6.77	—	—

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 6 earlier seasons and 3 youth-team spells in the full career.

Angola · international

Side	Apps	G
Angola	14	1

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Experienced headCentre-forward

Hélder Costa is a 32-year-old centre-forward at Yunnan Yukun, rated 22.9 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 86th of 253 on scout potential in the Super League. A seasoned veteran, he has been a rotation option this season (40.3% of available minutes). Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Costa.

Judged on this season alone, Costa graded 11 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 25th of 26 of the 26 centre-forwards in the Super League, on 1 goal and 0 assists in 13 appearances (0.146 involvements per 90).

Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 18 → 5). Over the 4 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2020/21.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 23, 11th of 26 of the 26 centre-forwards in the Super League. At 32 Costa is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 0.9 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Below his 2020/21 peak but holding a solid level — the platform for a return is there.

Peak: 2020/21Holding level4 clubs

Current potential11th of 26 centre-forwards · Super League · 13 apps Current season25th of 26 centre-forwards · Super League · 13 apps 25th-best centre-forward in the Super League 86th in the Super League · potential 11th-highest potential centre-forward in the Super League

22.9

Ratingi

11th of 26 centre-forwards

10.5

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

40.3%

Minutes

rotation minutes

0.15

Goal contrib / 90

low end product

Output in context · Yunnan Yukun finished 8th of 16 · a mid-table side

Apps

Goals

Assists

G+A

0.08

Goals / app

1 goal in 13 appearances (0.08 per game) — light end product the role wants to see climb.

Watch points

Game time. Only 40.3% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
Output. 0.15 contributions per 90 is light for an attacking role — end product needs to climb.
Age curve. At 32, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.

Outlook

With a Rating of 22.9, Costa carries the 11th-highest potential of the centre-forwards in the Super League of 26 — though on just 13 appearances this season, so the standing rests on a small sample. In the final third he profiles as a work-in-progress on end product (0.15 goal contributions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.8× and falling).

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %40.3%

Available fixtures13 of 30

Goals / 900.146

Assists / 900

Goal contribution / 900.146

Defensive actions / 900.877

Player flow

Goal involvements1

Cards / 900.146

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~2), then tapers with age. At 32, Costa sits on 0.9, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Costa's projected Rating — 22.9 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among centre-forwards in the Super League with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals1

Passing

Assists0

Defending

Tackles6

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards1

Red cards0

Transfer history

€17.4M total transfer fees · 9 moves

Yunnan YukunJan 2025 – now

Estoriluntil Jan 2025

Leeds(back from loan)Jul 2023 – Jan 2025

Al Ittihad(on loan)Aug 2022 – Jul 2023

Leeds(back from loan)Jul 2022 – Aug 2022

Valencia(on loan)Aug 2021 – Jul 2022

LeedsJul 2020 – Aug 2021€ 17.4M

Leeds(on loan)Jul 2019 – Jul 2020

Wolvesuntil Jul 2019

Monaco(on loan)Jul 2015 – Jul 2019

Deportivo La Coruna(on loan)Jan 2015 – Jul 2015

Benficauntil Jan 2015

About Hélder Costa

Hélder Wander Sousa de Azevedo e Costa is a 32-year-old centre-forward who plays for Yunnan Yukun, born on January 12, 1994 in Luanda, standing 178 cm tall. He is from Angola. Yunnan Yukun currently sit 8th of 16 in the Super League.

This season

In the current season, Hélder Costa has made 13 appearances with 1 goal and 0 assists across 616 minutes, with 1 yellow card.

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates Hélder Costa at 22.9 with a Season form score of 10.5, ranking 86th of 253 centre-forwards in the Super League. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

His honours include 15 career titles — among them the Super Cup and the Saudi League. Full list in the career record.

Career

Across 12 recorded seasons, Hélder Costa has totalled 319 club appearances with 45 goals and 27 assists for 9 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2019/20, with 43 appearances for Leeds.

Hélder Costa's career has also included time at Estoril, Leeds, Al Ittihad, Valencia, Wolves, Monaco, Deportivo La Coruna and Benfica.

On the international stage, Hélder Costa has represented Angola — 14 caps and 1 goal in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.

Profile

Season stats

Career

Scout report

Output in context · Yunnan Yukun finished 8th of 16 · a mid-table side

Watch points