Diego Costa says he never should have joined Chelsea. And the former Blues striker has taken aim at Antonio Conte, the manager who exiled him before he moved to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2017.
Costa spent four successful seasons in the Spanish capital before signing for Chelsea in 2014 for a fee of £32million.
In four years at Stamford Bridge, Costa won two Premier League titles and the League Cup. His Chelsea career came to an acrimonious end last summer after being told by Conte via text message that he did not have a future at the club.
Costa said, “It was a very bad moment, but it wasn’t my fault”
‘People said things, but time puts everything in its place; look where the coach is, look at Conte. ‘I was wrong going to Chelsea, because of their way of dealing with things. Cholo [Atletico coach Diego Simeone] is a direct coach, and when he doesn’t love you, it’s clear and he shows it. ‘At Chelsea it was the opposite. ‘I had the option of returning to Atleti and when Chelsea told me to go back to training with the reserves, I was clear that I was going back to Atletico, even though there were other offers.
The Spain International continued, “If not, I would’ve stayed in Brazil with my family. I had to live my whole life with my family. I have other values that no money can buy.”
Costa opted to return to Atletico despite the fact he was unable to play for the club for four months due to their transfer ban. He says the opportunity to work with Simeone again made the delay worthwhile.
Costa added, “Cholo has always been important, because of the coach and the person he is, I love him as a person. He’s always been very direct to deal with. When he told me he wanted me to come back, it was like I’d never left. Here I have everything; a very big club in a big city and people are more similar to Brazil. Cholo is the boss and I was excited. I was happy to return.’