MAPUTO (Mozambique) - Anabela Cossa has had a phenomenal career spanning more than two decades, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
In those two decades, her career has shone with five FIBA Africa Club titles.
She has made eight Women's AfroBasket appearances and reached the pinnacle by playing in the 2014 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Turkey.
In this interview with FIBA.basketball, Cossa talks about Ferroviario de Maputo's successful 2024 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) campaign, her return to the Mozambique national team, which will face Angola in a FIBA Africa Zone 6 Women's AfroBasket qualifier in Luanda (3-8 February), and of course, the sharpshooting guard shed some light on Mozambique's elusive Women's AfroBasket title.
Costa's solid figures of 15 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists at last month's WBLA were proof that she can contribute to a team's success, so it's no wonder that national team head coach Milton Maheira has tapped the 38-year-old guard for another important assignment.
"I feel very blessed and happy because of what I have achieved with the clubs I have played for," said Cossa.
She continued: "I have been recognised at home and on the continent. All athletes work to achieve better results and I am no different," recalled Cossa, who won two FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women (ACCW) titles with Grupo Desportivo (2007 and 2008) and two more with Ferroviario de Maputo (2018 and 2019).
The 2024 WBLA champion added: "It is a great honour to be an African champion. Each one is always a mission accomplished."
Cossa says that every season is a chance for her to improve and she credited her club coach, Nasir Sale, for helping her to become a better player and develop her skills.
"I think it was the result of teamwork in general. Every year I worked to improve more and more. My coach, a father figure, motivated me to work harder and reminded me of my experiences over the years," said Cossa.
"Many times last year he told my captain, Dulce Mabjaia, and me how good we were at shooting three-pointers."
Cossa is also excited about her return to the national team after last playing for Mozambique in the 2023 Women's AfroBasket qualifiers.
"Every athlete dreams of wearing the national team jersey. I am very happy and honoured to be called back into the national team," said Cossa.
She expressed disappointment at missing out on the 2023 Women's AfroBasket and when asked if she felt it was the end of her international career, Cossa left no room for doubt.
"No, it wasn't over. Like I said, the biggest goal of any athlete is to wear the national team jersey. I was very sad, but it was up to me as an athlete to respect the technical possibilities and keep working," said Cossa.
As Cossa and her teammates prepare for the Zone 6 qualifiers, Mozambique are expected to progress to this year's edition of the Women's AfroBasket in Cote d'Ivoire.
Cossa believes their strong character will make them competitive.
"Our team has natural talent, we are also characterised by hard work, unity, focus and a lot of determination," she said.
They may not have qualified for the Women's AfroBasket, but three-time finalists Mozambique are ambitious and Cossa feels it's the only piece of silverware missing from her list of achievements.
"I want to win the African championship with the national team. I believe that in order to achieve this great goal, we need to prepare well and continue with the preparations for the [Women's] AfroBasket as soon as the team returns from Angola. Finally, competitive matches outside the country are also important and everyone must be committed to the cause," Cossa concluded.
FIBA