Costinha aims high with Atlético

After being unveiled as Club Atlético de Madrid's latest signing, Portuguese international Costinha said the Primera División side should aim high this season.

Great history
The 32-year-old midfielder, who has arrived in the Spanish capital on a two-year contract from FC Dinamo Moskva, said: "I'm delighted to be at a club with such a great history and it is our job to help reclaim the success that Atlético have been striving for in recent years. This is a big challenge and I am aware it is difficult at a club like this because there is a lot of pressure. But with the players we've got, I'm not just here to help qualify for the UEFA Cup - a club like this has to aspire to something more."

Big signings
Atlético have made big efforts to improve on last season's tenth-placed finish, bringing in defenders Giourkas Seitaridis, Mariano Pernía and Zé Castro as well as splashing out a club-record €23m fee for teenage Argentinian striker Sergio Agüero. Costinha's capture, meanwhile, will strengthen the midfield, prompting shareholder Miguel Ángel Gil Marín to say: "We are building a team of which this club can be proud. Costinha is a player with great experience and his career has been filled with success. For me, he is a player capable of inspiring this squad to the achievements we all hope for."

European champion
The player, who has been capped 49 times by his country and was part of the Portugal side that reached this summer's FIFA World Cup semi-finals, was a UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League winner with FC Porto and will be keen to relive those trophy-winning days at Atlético after a disappointing spell in Russia.