Atletico Madrid has always been about the team first rather than the individual. It is a side that has a fantastic collective team spirit intertwined around its club’s ethos.
But in their Uefa Super Cup win over Real Madrid, one man ultimately grabbed the headlines and it was none other than Diego Costa himself.
Indeed the 29-year-old is a player that constantly lives on the edge as much as he is capable of brilliant and baffling moments. It must also be said that the Spaniard is one who consistently stretches the laws of its games to its limits.
In Atleti’s victory over Los Blancos fans were able to witness all that was said in the aforementioned statement. Costa’s first goal for his team was a reminder of his talent as he got the better of Sergio Ramos through his strength and skill to smash the ball into the roof of the net.
The pair would then go on to be entangled in a series of coming together which illustrates how the former Chelsea man was prepare to go the distance to rile his up opponent, as he was alleged to kick Ramos in the back of the head in the 65th minute of the game.
In the end though, the striker emerged unscathed and was on hand to equalise for his side after they had fallen behind to Ramos’ penalty. That second goal was very crucial for Los Rojiblancos as it set them on the path towards victory.
Now it was no secret that at Chelsea, the good, the bad and the ugly of Costa wasn’t fully embraced by the British people in and outside of the game. Additionally he also had a fractious relationship with former Blues boss Antonio Conte that led to his acrimonious exit.
But it must be said that at Atleti, it feels like Costa is back home. His demeanour and style of play fit like hand in glove with Atleti because it is a team that fights hard. They like the striker rile up their opponents, get under their skin and will do anything to secure a win. It is a team that punches above their weight and no one punches harder than Costa. If he was a boxer, he would be Mike Tyson landing knockout blows like the goals he produced against Madrid.
Moreover his manager Diego Simeone embodies Costa’s fight and strong personality. He understands the 29-year-old when not many can and it is this understanding that might just allow Costa to fire Simeone and Atleti to more glory this season.