Only, when the 24-year-old Frenchman says it, it does not sound nearly as cliched.
There is nothing typical about this Otago United player.
He is as comfortable negotiating his way around dusty archives as he is running the cutter in the midfield. He is equal parts athlete, academic and adventurer.
As well as having a sharp passing game, Da Costa has a master's degree in biodiversity which set him up perfectly for a career in research.
He feels right at home in a museum. But he also enjoys nature and, since coming out to New Zealand a year ago, he has found a more satisfying way of putting his education to good use.
He worked for a trust in pest management on the Otago Peninsula and now works at Penguin Place as a wildlife guide.
In the weekends, he suited up for Dunedin Technical and forged a good connection with prolific goal-scorer Aaron Burgess.
When his working permit ran out, he decided to apply for an extension and he continues to work at Penguin Place as a volunteer in the meantime.
"For me it is quite interesting. I did a master's degree to be a researcher and not to work in the field. At Penguin Place I'm outside, I'm meeting people, I'm increasing my knowledge about nature, it is amazing.
"I used to study at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, which is an old-fashioned museum ... a lot of dinosaurs, a lot of skeletons."
When Da Costa is not showing tourists around, he is busy training with the Otago United squad, and is looking forward to the season.
"It will be interesting for me to come back and play championship football because you have to push yourself harder to play well," he said.
"Also, there is a lot of young people in the team that are well talented but they have some weakness with tactics. Maybe I will try to give them my experience of football. I will try to bring something new."
Tristan Prattley is the captain but Da Costa hopes to offer some leadership in the midfield.
As a footballer, he describes himself as "not fancy". He likes to make one or two touches before he passes it on. He is fit and gets through a lot of work on defence. He is the guy who likes "to fight for the team".
"To play for Otago United is new for me and I know sometimes it will be hard.
"But I try to challenge myself in life and to keep growing up. I will try to take all of the good experiences for me. Everything which will make me grow, I will take as a positive experience.
"I never play in a stadium like Forsyth Barr Stadium, so this is exciting."
While Da Costa has adopted a few New Zealand sayings such as "sweet as", he also brings plenty of French spirit.
"I know Otago United is not the best team like Waitakere or Auckland City. But we have something which is special. We have spirit. We hang out together, we do a lot of stuff together and you can see at training that there is a connection with the players.
"This year we have the talent, the experience and also we got the spirit. So I'm sure that when we play against Waitakere or Auckland City, maybe we play with our hearts. This is what I'm expecting from Otago United.
"Sometimes, like in the FA Cup, the small team will beat the big one because they play with their hearts."
Otago United opens its campaign against Manawatu at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Sunday.
