Costa can make a difference for Spain on his day
COACH LOPETEGUI’S STRIKER OPTIONS SIMPLY STAGGERING
Diego Costa, despite returning to Atletico Madrid in September, was unable to play until the New Year. He was sent into the wilderness and spent six months without competitive football following the Fifa ban that stopped Atletico from registering new players. The 29-year-old, who spent four years at Stamford Bridge before falling out with manager Antonio Conte last summer, however, quickly made up for lost time by shining for his old club.
Under Atletico manager Diego Simeone, whom he respects above all, he played a crucial role in notching an emphatic 3-0 win over Marseille in the Europa final.
The Brazil-born Spaniard had also scored the only goal of Atletico’s 1-0 home win over Arsenal in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals, sending them into the 2018 Uefa Europa League final 2-1 on aggregate.
With that success, Costa has brightened his chance of being a part of the Spain squad at this summer’s World Cup. Keeping the World Cup in mind, Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui has so far experimented with 10 different players for the position of striker in two years. Costa is one among them and Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas, along with Valencia’s Rodrigo, should also make the 23-man squad. Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez, Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata, Napoli’s Jose Callejon and Atletico’s Victor ‘Vitolo’ Machin are the others in contention.
Though Morata is another star very much capable of adding value to the team, the former was left out of Spain’s recent friendlies after struggling in the Premier League.
Costa, however, will be challenged by Aspas and Rodrigo Moreno as the duo have been in fine form for Celta Vigo and Valencia, respectively, and have been scoring goals. Costa may have made a huge difference with French international Antoine Griezmann at Atletico, but many critics say he won’t be that effective with the Spanish side as they don’t play the second striker system of Atletico. One thing is certain — if Lopetegui opts for Costa, only one of the two — Aspas or Moreno will be boarding the flight to Russia.
Before switching loyalties to Spain, Costa played twice for his native Brazil in 2013. After declaring his desire to represent Spain, he was granted Spanish citizenship in September 2013. He made his debut for his adopted nation in March 2014, and represented them at the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Diego’s old school – what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch. He can have a bustup with you and be close to killing you and then, a few hours later you’re having dinner together. It’s like he steps into another world when he plays but he never leaves the field looking to get even.”
Alberto Marcos | Valladolid teammate “We have a couple of sayings in Spain: ‘It’s not where you’re born but where you flourish’ and ‘Gratitude is the sign of noble souls’. He [Costa] felt that he owed Spain a lot.”
Cirilo Gutierrez | a former kitman for Atletico Madrid