Chelsea fans love him, rival fans hate him and English FA holds a grudge against him. Diego Costa is a character in modern football.
He may be eccentric, lash out at opponents and get embroiled in controversies, but he does what he should – he scores.
With six goals in seven appearances, he leads the Barclays Premier League scoring charts. He has also accumulated two assists this season. And most importantly, Costa is getting better with every game.
Despite some criticism, Costa never stopped scoring for Chelsea. His last season was poor by his own standards, but he has scored 38 goals in 58 starts for Chelsea. Since his arrival, Costa has been a vital cog for the Blues.
When Costa first arrived at Chelsea in 2014, he joined Cesc Fabregas and wrecked havoc on the league.
Along with Eden Hazard, they led Chelsea to another Premier League title. He finished third in the Premier League scorers chart and won the biggest trophy in English football.
Last season was rather subdued, with 12 goals in 28 league appearances, yet nine of them were scored after Christmas.
And after missing the European Championships, Costa is back at his best. He is keeping his cool, playing more responsibly and most importantly, scoring goals.
Yet, Diego Costa has his share of controversies as well.
He received a three-match ban for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can in a League Cup clash, got Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker sent off in last season’s league clashes, went unpunished for kicking Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel after a tackle, had a physical altercation with his own teammate Oscar in training, and was accused of biting Everton’s Gareth Barry.
This season, he escaped unpunished for a two-footed challenge on West Ham United’s Adrian and got away with a possible second yellow card against Watford.
Despite the controversy, Costa has been backed by nearly every manager he has played for, from Diego Simeone to Antonio Conte.
And undoubtedly, he holds the key to Chelsea’s fortunes.
He scores goals and galvanizes the Blues. He can be a replacement for Didier Drogba with his personality. He doesn’t get bullied and never backs down from any challenge.
So why is his name not alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Sergio Aguero? Why is he called overrated when he played a crucial role in leading his team to Premier League glory? Is it because he isn’t as good finisher as Aguero or not as flamboyant as Zlatan?
I will leave the answer to you, but one thing is for sure – Diego Costa is one of the finest strikers in football and is crucial to the prospects of Chelsea and the Spanish national team.
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