When going gets tough, the tough get going. Diego Costa has remained a living testament of this statement to the footballing folklore time and again. Yet, seldom has he received the appreciation he deserves. He is a striker who dominates defenses at will with his muscular power and has always come good in crunch situations.
Diego Costa has the ability to keep possession of the ball for a longer spell. The physical authority along with the possession play grants him time and space to score at will. However, he has failed to justify his talent until now. The momentum that he has started to gain since the World Cup in Russia might bring him the glory he deserves. Let us have a quick look at his career so far.
1. Early days: Brazil to Portugal to Spain
Mendes is a super agent representing some of the great football players like Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea and James Rodriguez. This man has a visionary knack for identifying budding talents. He has been named Best Agent of the Year at the Global Soccer awards for a record six consecutive years from 2010 to 2015.
2. Life at Atletico and playing for Spain
When Spain became World Champions in 2010, Costa was still trying to find his feet on the football field. His injury-prone body and confrontational behaviour were continuously pushing him back whenever he tried to gain momentum.
Finally, he found his spark in the Copa del Rey in the 2012-13 season. He edged past Cristiano Ronaldo to become the top scorer in the tournament. He then started the next season on a positive note with a brace against Sevilla in their 3-1 win in the first match of the league.
The Resurrection
He acted like a quick fox to control the long ball from Diego Godin while edging past Sergio Ramos and then took it past napping Raphael Varane. He was then presented with a golden opportunity in a one on one situation with Keylor Navas. The thumping strike from a tight angle zoomed past Navas only for the mercy of the back of the net.
Diego Costa started the season with a bang.
He saved and helped Atletico to beat arch-rivals Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup with a brace. Real Madrid bounced back and took the lead by 63rd minute. Time was running out for the Los Colchoneros. Costa then positioned himself at the right place at the right time when he got his brace by poking an excellent cross from Angel Correa.
