After his mundane second spell at Atletico Madrid came to an end, ex-Chelsea striker Diego Costa decided to return to his birthplace and join Atlético Mineiro.
Creating a formidable strike partnership with Hulk, another striker famed for bullying opposition defenders ruthlessly, he eventually ended up helping his new club to their first league title in 50 years.
The celebrations for the occasion from the Spanish striker were all too familiar for Chelsea fans.
Costa was pictured sporting sunglasses and striking a pose similar to the one he did back in 2017 following Chelsea’s Premier League triumph.
Posted by Atlético Mineiro’s official Twitter page, the comments sections were flooded with reminiscent Blues, expressing their gratitude for “El Cholo’s” excellent stint at the Blues.
Hey, @ChelseaFC! Do you remember this? 😂🥇😎
— Atlético 😷 (@Atletico) December 6, 2021
🏆🏆 #BicaBiCAMpeão
📸: Michael Regan/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/2HYQdc0hRt
The love certainly flows both ways despite Costa’s sour departure from the club following a dispute with manager Antonio Conte. He remains a fan favourite at the Bridge and Costa himself still seems fond of his old club.
Before Chelsea’s Champions League final last year against Man City, the Spaniard sent them a good luck message, wearing the jersey from the FA cup final against Arsenal, which ended up being his final game for Chelsea.
The strong nostalgia around Costa is also fuelled by the fact that Chelsea still haven’t been able to find an apt replacement.
High expectations have been placed on new recruit Romelu Lukaku’s shoulders and Blues fans will certainly be hoping that the gaping void left by Costa’s departure will finally be filled.
