Diego Costa blamed his former manager in a new interview with his former teammate John Obi Mikel.
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa made a sensational attack on his former manager, whom he described as “always angry” and who “nobody liked”.
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Costa moved to “The Blues” from Atlético Madrid in a £32 million transfer in 2014 and became an instant breakthrough at Stamford Bridge. He scored 21 goals as Chelsea won the Premier League and League Cup in his first season.
He later added another Premier League championship in 2016/17, when Chelsea triumphed under Antonio Conte in the Italian’s first season at the helm.
The Italian took over after Chelsea had sacked Mourinho for the second time in December 2015, after a very weak period with nine defeats in 16 league games and the return of Guus Hiddink as interim boss.
Costa had just over one season under Mourinho, but has only positive things to say about his management.
“For me, Mourinho is the coach I liked the most,” he said in an appearance on his former teammate John Obi Mikel’s podcast.
“He gives you life. You come to training happy.”
The former Spain international went on to score 20 goals again in his second Premier League championship, but when July 2017 arrived, he received a text message from Conte informing him that he was not part of his plans.
The purported text read, “Hi Diego, I hope you’re doing well. Thank you for the season we spent together. Good luck next year, but you’re not in my plan.”
Costa later agreed a return to Atlético, but was only able to join in January due to the club’s transfer ban.
Nine years later, Costa butchers Conte for his confrontational managerial approach and claims that his perception that the Napoli boss was not a pleasant person to be around at Chelsea is shared by many.
“He’s a person who doesn’t trust others,” Costa added.
“He thinks he knows everything. You don’t enjoy training with him. He is always angry, always with a long face. The players wanted to come back, but nobody liked him, and that’s why he didn’t last long.”
The full interview has not yet been released, with only a taste posted on social media.
After his second spell at Atlético, Costa returned to Brazil with Atlético Mineiro, before returning to England for a brief spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he made 25 appearances and scored just once.
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He returned to his homeland to play with Botafogo and Grêmio.
