Story byMeet Helena Costa, the only female sporting director in the men’s gameAdam LeventhalSun, February 1, 2026 at 5:16 AM UTC·10 min read“It’s good when someone remembers that you could be Mourinho in a skirt, right?” says Helena Costa with a smile as she talks to The Athletic on the veranda of a plush Spanish hotel. The nickname — coined in her and Mourinho’s homeland of Portugal more than a decade ago — is one piece of a globetrotting jigsaw puzzle constructed by a trailblazer. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCosta, 47, has broken new ground for women in states where their rights are restricted (Qatar and Iran), made a controversial principled stand, won a European trophy with Oliver Glasner and shattered glass ceilings at every turn. Her latest first is becoming the only female sporting director in the men’s game worldwide. Not that she gets carried away by these sorts of things.“It has to mean something. But for me, it’s also natural,” she says. “I don’t think it has any impact in my life, but it’s important to open doors as well.”She pauses before clarifying: “But it’s also a responsibility, because it has to work.
