Diego Costa
Diego da Silva Costa (Spanish: [ˈdjeɣo ða ˈsilβa ˈkosta], Portuguese: [ˈdʒjeɡu dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈkɔstɐ]; born 7 October 1988)[4][5] is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio.
Not to be confused with Diogo Costa.
Costa began his football career in his native Brazil before joining Braga in Portugal in 2006, aged 17. He never played for the club but spent time on loan at Penafiel, and signed with Atlético Madrid the following year. Over the next two seasons he had loan periods with Braga, Celta Vigo and Albacete. His form earned him a move to fellow La Liga club Real Valladolid in 2009, where he spent one season, finishing as their top goalscorer, before returning to Atlético Madrid. Costa struggled to maintain a regular starting role with Atlético, and spent more time on loan, this time at Rayo Vallecano, where he finished as the club's highest scorer that season.
In 2011, Costa returned to Atlético with a greater role. He blossomed as a goalscorer, and helped the team win a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey title, and a UEFA Super Cup, as well as reaching the 2014 UEFA Champions League final. In 2014, he was signed by Premier League club Chelsea in a deal worth €35 million (£32 million). In London, Costa won three trophies, including two Premier League titles and a League Cup. In 2018, following a rift with head coach Antonio Conte, Costa returned to Atlético Madrid in a club record transfer worth an initial €56 million,[note 1] where he won a UEFA Europa League title and another UEFA Super Cup.
Costa is a dual citizen of Brazil and Spain. He played twice for Brazil in 2013, before declaring his desire to represent Spain, having been granted Spanish citizenship in September that year. He made his debut for Spain in March 2014, and has since won 24 caps and scored 10 goals, and has represented them at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
Known for his fiery temperament, Costa has been criticised and punished for several confrontations with opponents.[6][7]
Early life
Costa was born in Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil, to parents José de Jesus and Josileide.[8] His father named him in honour of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona despite the rivalry between the two nations, and he has an elder brother named Jair after Brazilian player Jairzinho.[8] Despite regularly playing street football, Costa did not believe as a child that he would turn professional, in part due to the remote location of his hometown.[8] He has since set up a football academy in his hometown, where he pays all the costs.[9] Costa is a fan of Palmeiras.[10]
Costa trialled unsuccessfully at his hometown team Atlético Clube Lagartense.[11] At age 15, he left Sergipe and moved to São Paulo, to work in the store of his uncle Jarminho.[8] Although he was never a professional, Jarminho had connections in football and recommended his nephew to Barcelona Esportivo Capela, a team from the south of the city set up as an alternative to drugs and gangs for youth of the favelas.[8] Before joining this team, he had never been coached in football.[8][12] He turned professional at the club, earning around £100 per month,[8] and competed in the under-18 Taça de São Paulo despite a four-month ban for slapping an opponent and dissent towards the referee. Although he was sent off in the first game of the tournament, he attracted the attention of renowned Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, who offered him a contract at Braga. Costa's father was apprehensive of sending his son to Europe, and suggested he instead sign for nearby Associação Desportiva São Caetano, but he was adamant that he would take the opportunity.[13]
Jair played on the same team as Diego, and was a slimmer, more technically able player, but had less focus; the two were often not fielded at the same time in order to prevent arguments. He never turned professional, but had a three-month trial at Basque club Salvatierra.[13]
Club career
Early career
Costa signed for his first European club in February 2006, Portugal's Braga.[14] He initially struggled with loneliness and the comparatively cold weather of northern Portugal.[15] Out of action due to the club's lack of a youth team, he was loaned that summer to Penafiel in the second division,[16] managed by former Portugal international Rui Bento, who desired the "rough diamond".[17]
Through his negotiations with Spain's Atlético Madrid,[17] Mendes arranged Costa's transfer for €1.5 million and 50% of the player's rights in December 2006,[18] but he remained on loan at Braga until the end of the season. Atlético defeated interest from Porto and Recreativo de Huelva for Costa's signature, with director Jesús García Pitarch admitting that it was a risk to pay so much for an inexperienced player.[19] After 5 goals in 13 games for Penafiel, he was recalled to Braga in January 2007.[19] On 23 February, he came on in the 71st minute for Zé Carlos and scored his first goal for the team, a last-minute goal for a 1–0 win at Parma to advance 2–0 on aggregate to the Last 16 of the UEFA Cup.[4] His season ended after seven games due to a metatarsal injury which ruled him out for six months.[20]
Costa was presented by Atlético Madrid president Enrique Cerezo on 10 July 2007 as "the new Kaká".[21] While scout Javier Hernández wished for him to return to fitness in the club's reserves, García Pitarch instead suggested loaning Costa out immediately.[20] He made his debut on 11 August in the Ciudad de Vigo tournament against Celta de Vigo, replacing Simão at half-time in a penalty shootout victory.[22]
Celta Vigo
Later that month, Costa and Mario Suárez were loaned to Segunda División side Celta de Vigo for the season, and Costa became a regular in the team, managed by former Ballon d'Or winner Hristo Stoichkov.[23] In his seventh league match, he scored his first goal in Spanish football in a dominant home victory over Xerez; after scoring, he showboated, causing a brawl which resulted in him being sent off. Costa was subsequently rested from Celta's away game at the same opposition. The event drew the wrath of Stoichkov, who unexpectedly left his position.[24] Towards the middle of the season, he was involved in two further controversies: he struck Málaga defender Weligton in the head, causing an injury which required medical stitches, and was sent off against Sevilla Atlético for diving and dissent, leaving his team to fight for a draw without him.[25] The loyal strike partner of Quincy Owusu-Abeyie despite the pair not sharing a common language, he was dropped for Cypriot Ioannis Okkas.[25] On 23 March 2008, Costa scored both Celta goals in a 2–1 win at Numancia, the latter after a long dribble;[26] but later on in the campaign, he was sent off against Tenerife at Balaídos, after which Celta went from winning 2–0 to drawing 2–2.[27] The team barely avoided relegation, and Costa earned a reputation for being a disruptive influence.[28]
Albacete
Despite earning a poor reputation for his conduct, Costa attracted interest from Salamanca, Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Málaga after his loan at Celta; García Pitarch ruled out any approach from the latter, fearing how Costa would behave on the Costa del Sol.[29] After attending Atlético's pre-season tour of Mexico, he signed on loan for Albacete, also of Segunda División, on 22 August 2008, signing a contract which would have a lower fee depending on how many games he played.[30] He initially threatened to terminate his deal with the Castile-La Mancha team, on account of the quality of his teammates and the city's lack of a beach.[30] Nine days after signing, he scored a late winner in a 2–1 victory over Sevilla's reserves at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte.[31] The Queso Mecánico suffered with financial problems during Costa's loan, with him threatening to strike unless their non-playing staff were paid in full.[32] He was dropped to the bench by manager Juan Ignacio Martínez for the home game against Real Sociedad on 13 December as punishment for an argument with goalkeeper Jonathan, but came on as a substitute to score another late winner.[33]
Costa was known for misbehaviour on and off the pitch while at Albacete. He was sent off away to Tenerife, after which he slandered the referee's mother and confronted his opponents.[34] He pulled practical jokes on his teammates and employers, earning him the moniker "that fucking Brazilian".[35] However, he was a central figure as they avoided relegation, assisting twice in a 3–0 win at high-flying Rayo Vallecano on 2 May 2009, despite missing a penalty.[36]
International career
Brazil
On 5 March 2013, Costa was called up to the Brazil national team by head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for friendlies with Italy in Geneva and Russia in London, both taking place late in that month.[158] He made his debut in the first match on 21 March, replacing Fred midway through the second half of the 2–2 draw.[159] Four days later at Stamford Bridge, he replaced Kaká for the last 12 minutes of a 1–1 draw with Russia.[160]
Request to change teams
In September 2013, the Royal Spanish Football Federation made an official request to FIFA for permission to call up Costa for the Spain national team.[161] He had been granted Spanish nationality in July.[162] FIFA regulations currently permit players with more than one nationality to represent a second country if, like Costa, he had only represented his first country in friendly matches.[161][163]
On 29 October 2013, Costa declared that he wished to play international football for Spain, sending a letter to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).[164] Following the news, Scolari commented, "A Brazilian player who refuses to wear the shirt of the Brazilian national team and compete in a World Cup in your country is automatically withdrawn. He is turning his back on a dream of millions, to represent our national team, the five-time champions in a World Cup in Brazil."[165]
The CBF judicial director, Carlos Eugênio Lopes, said,
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