9 Things Chelsea Fans Need To Know About Diego Costa Earlier this week, Chelsea finally announced the £32 million signing of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa. Costa arrives on a five-year deal worth a reported £150,000-a-week and becomes the London club’s third major signing of the summer, following Cesc Fabregas and Mario Pasalic. Blues boss Jose Mourinho had been looking for a “killer striker” this summer after watching his strike force of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba struggle last season, and Costa looks as though he fits that criterion having netted 36 goals in 52 games in 2013-14. Costa said he was “very happy” to join Chelsea and that he was excited about getting his playing career up and running in England following his four-year spell in the Spanish capital with Atletico. And as we prepare to acquaint ourselves with the Brazilian forward, how much do we know of Costa so far? Aside from being a prolific goalscorer, earning rave reviews on the pitch, he’s also courted controversy off it by switching his nationality and being embroiled in a series of disciplinary set-backs. To find out more, including which Barcelona legend he matched in last season’s goal-scoring charts, read on as I take you through 9 things you need to know about Diego Costa. 9. He Learned To Play Football On The Streets While the cream of the crop of Spanish football get their football education from academies with top-notch facilities and coaching staff, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta learning their trade at Barcelona’s world-renowned La Masia, Diego Costa once admitted: “the street was my school”. Born in Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil, Costa was limited to street football until the age of 16 and once revealed this upbringing roughened his personality and made him more tenacious. He said: “On the pitch I fought with everyone, I couldn’t control myself. “I insulted everyone, I had no respect for the opposition, I thought I had to kill them. Boys who grew up playing in academies are taught to control themselves and respect others, but no-one ever told me otherwise, I didn’t have a school to teach me this. I was used to seeing players elbowing each other in the face and thought it was the norm.” Following his alternative introduction to the world of football, Costa joined Barcelona Esportivo Capela as a youth, and later began his senior playing career with Braga. But that wouldn’t be the last we’d see of his fiery personality 8. He Can Lose His Head In The Heat Of Battle Leaving the anything-goes world of street football behind did little to temper Diego Costa’s personality. As a professional footballer, he remains today every bit as wild and unpredictable – and this has naturally seen him accrue a dubious disciplinary record. Once, during a particularly ill-tempered clash with Real Madrid, the then-Atletico Madrid striker squared up to most of the Real team, clashing with Xabi Alonso, Pepe and most notably Sergio Ramos. Costa once said “he’d hit” Ramosif he had to, while he has been in trouble before for assaulting the opposition. In 2012, during Atletico’s Europa League Group B match with Viktoria Plzen, Costa was sent off for headbutting David Limbersky (above) once more showing that wild and untamed dark side of his. Costa has earned 58 bookings and received seven red cards in his relatively short career so far, and while he’s undoubtedly a fantastic player, his tendency to lose his head in the heat of battle is something Chelsea are going to need to try and keep a lid on next season. 7. He Knocked Chelsea Out Of The Champions League Last Season Chelsea fans will need no introduction to Diego Costa. They will know enough about him before he has even taken to the Stamford Bridge turf having watched on with dismay as the Brazilian ended their Champions League dream last season. The Blues had been paired against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of Europe’s premier competition last term and, with the first leg ending in a goalless stalemate in Spain, entertained Madrid in the second leg with home advantage. It was not enough however as a Costa-infused Atletico beat the Blues 3-1, with Adrian cancelling out Fernando Torres’s opener before Costa put his side ahead from the penalty spot. Arda Turan added a third to kill off Chelsea’s wavering hopes of reaching a third Champions League final in seven seasons while Costa and co. proceeded to the final, where they lost to bitter derby rivals Real Madrid. 6. He Had A Breakthrough Season In 2013-14 All you need do is glance at the stats to work out why Chelsea have just paid £32 million for Diego Costa. The striker was in sensational form last season, finishing as the third-highest goalscorer in Spain. But he has had to bide his time before coming to the fore with Atletico. In 2011, Costa was struggling to make a name for himself at Atleti, with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan ahead of him in the Spanish club’s pecking order. When Aguero moved to Manchester City later that year, Costa started to get more of a look- in, but was still held back by Radamel Falcao, the club’s preferred striker. It was only when Falcao joined Monaco last summer that Costa finally came to prominence – three years into his stay at Atletico. The South American stepped out of Falcao’s shadow to become Madrid’s new goal hero, netting 36 goals in all competitions in 2013-14. 5. He Switched Nationality To Play For Spain In 2013, Diego Costa sparked fury when he turned his back on Brazil – his place of birth – to instead represent Spain at international level. Costa was born in in Lagarto, an area of Brazil’s smallest state, Sergipe, and even represented A Seleção twice. However, having originally signed for Atletico in 2007 – during one of two stints at the Madrid club – Costa completed five years of residency in Spain and was entitled to a Spanish passportunder EU regulations, affording him duel-nationality. Taking advantage of this, the South American switched allegiances and decided to represent Spain, leaving Brazil fuming. So furious were Brazil over the ‘treachery’ that the country’s football federation – the CBF – demanded Costa be stripped of his Brazilian citizenship. Predictably, the Spain striker received a hot reception at this summer’s World Cup – hosted by Brazil – and was booed by the home fans with every touch of the ball. He might have wished he’d kept his Brazilian identity because Spain crashed out at the group stages while his native side reached the semi-finals. 4. He Has The Same Agent As Jose Mourinho Diego Costa was in high demand following his breakthrough season for Atletico Madrid in 2013-13. His fearsome goal-scoring exploits did not go unnoticed by interested suitors, with both Arsenal and Chelsea keen on snapping up the Brazilian-born Spain striker. The Gunners wanted Costa to line up alongside Oliver Giroud next season and were contemplating matching his £31 million release clause, while their London rivals Chelsea also monitored developments. In the end the Blues beat Arsenal to the punch for Costa, and that might have a little to do with the fact the forward shares the same agent as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Jorge Mendes represents both Mourinho and Costa, aiding simple business when the two sat down to thrash out terms. Of course, the fact Costa’s earning a reported £150,000-a-weekat Stamford Bridge might have tipped the scales in Chelsea’s favour too 3. He Scored The Same Number Of Goals As Lionel Messi Last Season For £32 million, Chelsea are getting the killer striker Jose Mourinho has been looking for since returning to the club last summer. Last season, the likes of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o proved ineffectual, and with Eto’o leaving and Ba looking as though he might follow, the Blues needed to sign a world class forward this summer. They’ve done just that. In 2013-14, Costa smashed home 28 La Liga goals to propel Ateetico Madrid to their first Spanish title win since 1996, and bagged a further 36 in 52 overall appearances – including eight in nine Champions League outings. Domestically, only Cristiano Ronaldo (31) scored more league goals than Costa, who struck the same number of goalsas Lionel Messi. It’s quite the statistic, and no doubt one which will excite Chelsea fans ahead of the new season. 2. …And Three Times As Many As Fernando Torres As well as scoring the same number of league goals as Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, Diego Costa also blew soon-t-be-new-teammate Fernando Torres out of the water in the goalscoring stakes. Costa scored three times as many goals as Torres last season, with the ex- Liverpool man managing a lacklustre five – his worst goals return since arriving in England in 2007. It’s little wonder then that the Blues have sanctioned the move for Costa, given Torres has been in a steady state of decline ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge. Not only did Costa score more goals than Torres last season, but he also scored more goals on his own than the Blues’ entire strike forcemanaged as a collective in 2013-14. Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba managed 25 strikes between them to Costa’s 36. 1. He Is Chelsea’s Second Most Expensive Signing In History Ever since the takeover of Roman Abramovich in 2003, a princely sum has been spent by the Russian oligarch on improving the Blues’ stadia and training facilities and buying in new players. Money has not been an object for Chelsea in recent transfer windows, with millions of pounds being lavished on new recruits. In 2006, £30 million was shelled out on Andriy Shevchenko, while £32 million was paid to Lille in 2012 for the services of Eden Hazard. With Chelsea splashing the cash once again this summer, the £32 million spent on the acquisition of Costa makes the Brazilian the joint- second-most expensive signingin the club’s history. That sum falls well short of the £50 million the Blues spent to make Fernando Torres their most expensive signing ever, and it remains to be seen if Costa will live up to his price-tag or become another big-money flop. But one thing’s for certain – in Costa, Chelsea have a player capable of taking them to the next level. Chelsea fans – do you think Diego Costa is a good signing? Lets know in the comment section, below.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 23:12:04 +0000
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