There’s no athlete in the world of sport quite like Diego Costa. On his day, he’s a brutally effective striker who blends determination, power, physicality and a mean goalscoring streak. On that same day, Costa also demonstrates a red hot temper, a clear lack of self-control and a penchant for the absurd.
Watching Diego Costa play is like watching a wild boar attempting to navigate a yoga festival. For long periods of time he seems to be ethically conscious, but he’ll inevitably just end up using his head as a plow to destroy someone.
Costa has been the source of constant transfer speculation this summer with former club Atletico Madrid batting their eyelashes at the Spanish land mammal. Costa spent 3 largely successful season at Atletico between 2010 and 2014, playing the Pumba to Radamel Falcao’s Timon.
Fans of the Premier League and slapstick comedy needn’t worry, however, as Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insists that Costa is of “fundamental importance” to Chelsea this year.
“Diego Costa is our player,” said Conte. “He’s a fantastic player with fundamental importance. He’s very happy and is working hard.”
Given that Conte once famously screamed “I will kill you, I will kill you” to his Italy players after they let an attacker have a whiff of the Italian goal, the Conte-Costa connection seems like a match made in heaven.
Conte apparently yelling "I will kill you, I will kill you" to Italy players after Lukaku's chance #CFC #mmlove pic.twitter.com/GsrKoLoabK
— Mario Melchiot (@MarioMelchiot) June 15, 2016
Andrea Pirlo once said of Conte that “when he talks, his words assault you. They crash through your mind, often quite violently, and settle deep within.” Costa, who’s collected 16 yellow cards in two EPL seasons with the Blues, will appreciate all this assault talk.
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