Last season, Diogo Costa set the record for the highest number of penalties saved in a row in a single group phase of the UEFA Champions League. He pledged to convert the three consecutive saved penalties into three solidarity initiatives supported by FC Porto and the UEFA Foundation for Children.

The Dragons’ goalkeeper donated football kits to AMCH Ringe, the first club he played for, and FC Porto’s youth disabled football team. He is also supporting APORMast, the Portuguese Association of Patients with Mastocytosis and Mast Cell Diseases.

Children from Ringe and FC Porto were invited to the Estádio do Dragão for a dedicated workshop organised by Diogo, who taught them how to kick and how to stop penalties. It was a privileged and inspiring moment for the kids: for many of them meeting Diogo Costa was a dream come true and it will reinforce their motivation and commitment to progress in football.

“I have great memories of playing for Ringe,” Diogo Costa recalls. “It’s motivating for me to represent Ringe as a former graduate while doing my best for FC Porto. I hope my story will inspire them in some way.”

Diogo Costa’s third initiative is designed to draw attention to the Portuguese Association of Mastocytoses and Mastocytoses (APORTMast). He became aware of this non-profit association through his former physical education teacher, Sónia Carvalho, who was very dear to him. She was recently diagnosed with mast cell disease and discovered that it is a rare disease that is very difficult to identify. In addition, medicines that greatly improve the quality of life of sufferers are not reimbursed.

Link to UEFA TV Show, featuring the three solidarity actions.

FC Porto launched an auction on Friday to support this cause, and the items up for grabs are a jersey signed by Diogo, two tickets for the FC Porto–FC Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League match scheduled to take place at 20:00 on 13 December at the Estádio do Dragao, and a chance to meet Diogo Costa after the match.

The sale ends at noon on Thursday 7 December, and all profits will go to APORMast.

Link to the auction.