In 2014, Costa Rica shocked the world en route to their first-ever quarter-finals.
They were drawn into the Group of Death alongside Italy, England and Uruguay — the first group to ever feature three former winners. Expectations were extremely low, with an early exit anticipated by all but the most-optimistic supporters.
However, Jorge Luis Pinto led his side to stunning victories over Uruguay and Italy before a draw with England sealed both top spot and a last-16 date with Greece.
Keylor Navas became a national hero with two saves in the penalty shootout, securing a quarter-final debut.
Costa Rica did fall to the Netherlands in another shootout, with headlines stolen by Tim Krul who was brought on just for the spot-kicks.
But where are Costa Rica’s quarter-final heroes now? We’ve taken a look.
Keylor Navas
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Age: 39
Keylor Navas is widely regarded as the best Costa Rican football of all time, and he’s enjoyed an incredible career. He won three Champions League titles with Real Madrid, joining Los Blancos after the 2014 World Cup. Navas also won one league title in Spain, adding another three with Paris Saint-Germain in France.
The ‘keeper spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest, helping them stay in the Premier League. There were then stints with Newell’s Old Boys and UNAM, where he remains.
Navas retired from international football in 2024 but returned a year later and remains both first-choice goalkeeper and captain.
Giancarlo Gonzalez
- Position: Defender
- Age: 38
Giancarlo Gonzalez had a tournament to remember. He was part of a defence that let in only two goals and was named in the BBC Team of the Tournament.
He played at the next World Cup in 2018 and still represents Costa Rica despite nearing 40. At club level, he captains Costa Rican side Sporting San Jose after spells with Palermo, Bologna, Alajuelense and LA Galaxy.
Michael Umana
- Position: Defender
- Age: 43
Michael Umana had a mixed penalty record at the 2014 World Cup. He scored the decisive spot-kick against Greece but was one of two players to miss against the Netherlands.
He retired from international duty three years later with 102 caps to his name but played on at club level until 2021 with a series of Costa Rican league sides.
Jhonny Acosta
- Position: Defender
- Age: 42
Jhonny Acosta was a relatively late bloomer, making his international debut in 2011 at the age of 27.
He had a bit-part role in 2024, only starting in the quarter-final. But Acosta would go on to play in all three games at the 2018 World Cup, in what was his last year of international football.
Junior Diaz
- Position: Defender
- Age: 42
Son of fellow Costa Rican international Enrique Diaz, Junior made 81 appearances for his country from 2003 to 2016 and spent much of his club career in Europe with the likes of Mainz, Darmstadt and Club Brugge.
He is best remembered for crossing the ball for Bryan Ruiz’s winner against Italy and, at 33.8 km/h, he was the fastest recorded player at the 2014 tournament.
Cristian Gamboa
- Position: Defender
- Age: 36
Cristian Gamboa was a stalwart of the Costa Rica national team from 2010 to 2020, making 78 appearances and featuring at two World Cups.
At club level, he played for West Bromwich Albion and Celtic — where he was part of the 2016-17 Invincibles Team — before retiring in 2025 after six years with Bochum.
Celso Borges
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 37
With 164 caps to his name, Celso Borges is the most-capped player in Costa Rica’s history with his most recent coming in 2025.
After two stints with Deportivo, the midfielder returned home in 2021 and has since made close to 200 appearances for Alajuelense.
Yeltsin Tejeda
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 34
Brilliantly named after former Russia president Boris Yeltsin, Tejeda played in all three World Cups from 2014 to 2022 and scored his one and only international goal in a 4-2 loss to Germany at the latter tournament.
He is currently the captain of Costa Rican league side Herediano after spells with Evian in France and INEOS-owned Lausanne in Switzerland.
Christian Bolanos
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 41
Christian Bolanos represented Costa Rica at the 2006 and 2018 World Cups as well as 2014, becoming the first player to represent them at three tournaments.
At club level, he both started and ended his career with Saprissa — where he had four separate stints — and also made 144 appearances for FC Copenhagen.
Joel Campbell
- Position: Forward
- Age: 33
Joel Campbell’s performances at the 2014 World Cup — where he scored the equaliser in the 3-1 win over Uruguay and in the shootout win over Greece — earned him major praise. But he had already been picked up by Arsenal three years earlier.
After finally obtaining a work permit, he made 40 appearances for the Gunners with all four of his goals coming in the 2015-16 season.
Plying his trade back home with Alajuelense after spells with a whole host of the clubs around Europe, the forward remains a key man for his country with 150 caps under his belt.
Bryan Ruiz
- Position: Forward
- Age: 40
One of the true greats of Costa Rican football, Bryan Ruiz also scored their most famous goal in 2014, netting the winner against Italy.
He retired after the 2022 World Cup — his third tournament — with 147 caps and 29 goals at international level. And he remains the only Central American player to play in the Champions League, Europa League and Copa Libertadores.
There was also spells with PSV, Sporting, Gent and Twente and, perhaps most famously, Fulham.
Dave Myrie
- Position: Defender
- Age: 37
Dave Myrie only played at the tournament after a late injury to Heiner Mora, coming on in the loss to the Netherlands.
A sporadic international career saw 24 caps earned over nine years from 2010 to 2019.
Jose Cubero
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 37
Jose Cubero made 54 appearances for his Costa Rica between 2010 and 2019, and was famously spotted crying tears of joy after the win over Greece.
At club level, several spells at Costa Rican clubs was accompanied by a two year spell with Blackpool after the 2014 tournament.
Marco Urena
- Position: Forward
- Age: 36
Marco Urena’s biggest contribution at the 2014 World Cup was coming off the bench to net the final goal in the 3-1 win over Italy.
He went on to score another 14 goals across his 67 caps for the national team. Urena spent time in Denmark and the US before returning home, currently playing for Sporting San Jose.
