Diego Costa’s Official Facebook Page
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been so superior for so long, people rarely hear anything from other clubs in La Liga. People tend to forget Athletico Madrid has consistently been the third best team in Spain as of late.
With the departures of Diego Forlan, Sergio Aguero and this past season Radamel Falcao, the Madrid based club continued to lose its top South American talent to bigger clubs and higher wages. Only to reload and eventually find viable and more than capable replacements to fill the voids of their departed compatriots.
After Falcao’s departure, the club looked to sign an experienced striker with proven goal scoring ability. They did that by signing former Valencia and Barcelona man David Villa. No one can deny the class of the Spain International, yet we know his better days are behind him.
Insert Diego Costa, a Brazilian battering ram of a striker. The 24-year-old has scored 24 goals in 66 appearances for his club. He is tied for the La Liga lead in goals scored with eight along side Lionel Messi and two ahead of Madrid neighbor Cristiano Ronaldo. Having only represented Brazil twice at senior level, with his new Spanish citizenship it looks as if Spain’s manager Vicente Del Bosque will call on the Brazilian with the recent struggles of his forwards.
It seems as if Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari doesn’t fancy Costa, so don’t be surprised if the young Brazilian shows up to his homeland with Los Rojos next summer.
Costa is a smart young man it seems. He turned down the opportunity for bigger wages and more exposure at Liverpool and the English Premier League, most likely to stay and continue his development rather than battle for first team places with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
Costa has the perfect build to be a menacing attacker. He is 6-foot-2, strong and athletic with enough pace to consistently make defenders uneasy. Monitoring his development will be intriguing as he looks to lead Athletico to Champions League and La Liga jury.
Tyronne Pruitt is a Soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TPruitt_454846, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
