Diego Costa

Not to be confused with Diogo Costa.
For other people named Diego Costa, see Diego Costa (disambiguation).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is da Silva and the second or paternal family name is Costa.
Diego Costa
Costa with Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Diego da Silva Costa[1]
Date of birth (1988-10-07) 7 October 1988 (age 36)[2]
Place of birth Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Grêmio
Number 19
Youth career
2004–2006 Barcelona-SP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 Braga 0 (0)
2006 → Penafiel (loan) 13 (5)
2007–2009 Atlético Madrid 0 (0)
2007 → Braga (loan) 6 (0)
2007–2008 → Celta (loan) 30 (6)
2008–2009 → Albacete (loan) 35 (10)
2009–2010 Valladolid 34 (8)
2010–2014 Atlético Madrid 94 (43)
2012 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 16 (10)
2014–2017 Chelsea 89 (52)
2017–2020 Atlético Madrid 61 (12)
2021–2022 Atlético Mineiro 15 (4)
2022–2023 Wolverhampton Wanderers 23 (1)
2023 Botafogo 12 (3)
2024– Grêmio 16 (7)
International career
2013 Brazil 2 (0)
2014–2018 Spain 24 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:41, 2 November 2024 (UTC)

Diego da Silva Costa (Spanish: [ˈdjeɣo ða ˈsilβa ˈkosta], Portuguese: [ˈdʒjeɡu dɐ ˈsiwvɐ ˈkɔstɐ]; born 7 October 1988)[4][5] is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio.

Costa began his football career in his native Brazil before joining Braga in Portugal in 2006, aged 17. He never played for the club but spent time on loan at Penafiel, and signed with Atlético Madrid the following year. Over the next two seasons he had loan periods with Braga, Celta Vigo and Albacete. His form earned him a move to fellow La Liga club Real Valladolid in 2009, where he spent one season, finishing as their top goalscorer, before returning to Atlético Madrid. Costa struggled to maintain a regular starting role with Atlético, and spent more time on loan, this time at Rayo Vallecano, where he finished as the club's highest scorer that season.

In 2011, Costa returned to Atlético with a greater role. He blossomed as a goalscorer, and helped the team win a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey title, and a UEFA Super Cup, as well as reaching the 2014 UEFA Champions League final. In 2014, he was signed by Premier League club Chelsea in a deal worth €35 million (£32 million). In London, Costa won three trophies, including two Premier League titles and a League Cup. In 2018, following a rift with head coach Antonio Conte, Costa returned to Atlético Madrid in a club record transfer worth an initial €56 million,[note 1] where he won a UEFA Europa League title and another UEFA Super Cup.

Costa is a dual citizen of Brazil and Spain. He played twice for Brazil in 2013, before declaring his desire to represent Spain, having been granted Spanish citizenship in September that year. He made his debut for Spain in March 2014, and has since won 24 caps and scored 10 goals, and has represented them at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

Known for his fiery temperament, Costa has been criticised and punished for several confrontations with opponents.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 06 de abril de 2019, en Barcelona" [Minutes of the Match held on 6 April 2019, in Barcelona] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Spain" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Diego Costa". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference scadere was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference line-ups was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Diego Costa 'likes to cheat' – Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma". ESPN FC. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Martinez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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