Chelsea fans adore Diego Costa for his antics at the club but his teammates had to stay clear of his madness in the dressing room.
Costa spent three short but sweet years at Chelsea where he scored 59 times in 120 appearances but it was not just his brilliant record that saw him become a fan favourite.
The former Spain international would often leave defenders battered and bruised with his snarling attitude and streetwise smarts up front while his shenanigans on and off the pitch made him hated by his rivals.
But his teammates loved him, including former Chelsea star Mikel, who joined Jason Cundy and Andy Townsend in the talkSPORT studio on Monday’s edition of The Sports Breakfast.
While Costa might have been adored by many, his old Chelsea pals knew to stay away from in the dressing room – because of his slightly crazy side, including a jokey ‘bust-up’ with the club kitman.
“How long have we got? Crazy, crazy guy,” Mikel said when asked to describe the 35-year-old, who joined Brazilian club Gremio this year.
“He is a guy in the dressing room after training, you are sitting in the dressing room and Diego Costa is sitting there…
“He is looking at everyone walking around naked, trying to flick you with a towel, grab whatever he can grab.
“Yeah, he just goes crazy. That is just what he does. Sometimes, when you see him in the dressing room, you just run out.
“Because if you stay there, you know he is definitely going to grab something or flick you with a towel.
“He is an amazing human being and what a player. Fantastic player. He had a bit of everything, probably the closest thing to [Didier] Drogba after he left. Good for a night out!”
Costa joined Chelsea in 2014 under Jose Mourinho, immediately firing them to a Premier League title that season after scoring 20 times in 26 appearances.
After Mourinho, who has since made the move to Turkey was sacked, Antonio Conte came in and Costa fired the Blues to another league title with another 20-goal haul.
However, the two tempestuous personalities were always going to clash and it led to a well-documented break-up with Conte texting him to say he was not needed.
It led to Costa returning to Atletico Madrid but his time in the Premier League was not over as he later would come back when he signed for Wolves in 2022.
During his time on these shores, Costa would have several high-profile moments of madness.
There was the match against Arsenal in 2015 where he got Gabriel Paulista sent off, a nuzzle into Gareth Barry’s shoulder against Everton and a stamp on Emre Can against Liverpool.
And the infamous Battle of the Bridge where Costa amazingly avoided a card, saw him clash with Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen with the Belgian getting booked.
News Summary:
- John Obi Mikel reveals why Chelsea players stayed away from Diego Costa in dressing room
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