Diego Costa was reunited with his former Chelsea teammate and old friend John Terry at the King Power Stadium.
The former Chelsea striker enjoyed three prolific years at Stamford Bridge. Apart from scoring 52 league goals under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Costa also lifted three trophies – two Premier League titles and the Football League Cup – alongside Terry. In fact, the duo scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Spurs in the cup final at Wembley. The Chelsea defender was named Man of the Match for his influence in both boxes.
While Terry ended his Chelsea career on a high and received plenty of tributes before moving to Aston Villa, Costa’s exit was controversial. Conte reportedly informed the striker that he was not part of his plans for the coming season via text message. After a drama-filled summer, the Spaniard eventually returned to Atletico Madrid.
Since then, Terry has hung up his boots to get into management. He’s currently Dean Smith’s assistant at Leicester City, as the Foxes fight to keep their Premier League status intact. They are just above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Costa, meanwhile, finds himself at Wolves after underwhelming spells at Atletico Madrid (second stint) and Atletico Mineiro. Costa became a free agent in January after the termination of his contract at the Brazilian outfit.
In September, he agreed to join Wolverhampton Wanderers on a contract until the end of the season after they were forced to sign a new striker following Sasa Kalajdzic’s ACL injury. His return to England was announced in a rather bold fashion, as Costa was seen with three wolves in his unveiling video.
Last week, Costa got on the scoresheet against Brentford to open his account for Wolves. The goal was also his first in English football since 2017.
Over the weekend, Costa travelled to the East Midlands to face Leicester in a game with the potential to have a big say in the relegation battle. Matheus Cunha scored the opener for the visitors but Smith and Terry-led Leicester came on top thanks to goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Timothy Castagne.
It was a frustrating result for Wolves and a disappointing outing for Costa, who was subbed off for Joao Moutinho before the hour mark. Julen Lopetegui introduced the Portuguese midfielder to regain control of the affair. But Costa certainly didn’t agree with the decision and made his displeasure at being subbed known.
Perhaps the most positive thing during the whole outing for Costa was his reunion with Terry. A picture of the former teammates was shared on social media with the caption “@diego.costa What a guy, Love this man.”
Terry certainly admires his ex-teammate, who at his best was loved by Chelsea fans but often attracted a negative spotlight due to his short temper.
In 2015, the story emerged that Costa was involved in a bust-up with Terry after the side’s defeat against Everton.
The claim was taken back after Chelsea’s ‘strong’ denial. However, Mourinho, the Blues manager at the time, made sure to troll the press by hilariously mocking the reported incident. The Portuguese explained how Terry and Costa arranged a translator before their ‘fight’, which was organized like far-west duels.
In September, Terry praised his ex-teammate on social media when asked if Costa is the craziest player he has played with. Terry claimed the former Atletico man gave everything, every single day for Chelsea and was an unbelievable player.
Costa isn’t as prolific and decisive in front of the goal but still has the physicality to keep centre-backs on their toes and help his teammates in the final third. Cunha, another former Atletico Madrid man, has benefitted from playing off the aggressive number nine. It’ll be interesting to see whether he’s handed a contract extension once Kalajdzic is back to full fitness.
