Diego da Silva Costa

Diego Costa

Personal information
Full name	Diego da Silva Costa
Date of birth	7 October 1988 (1988-10-07) (age 23)
Place of birth	Lagarto, Brazil
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Atlético Madrid
Number	–
Youth career
2004–2006	Barcelona EP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006	Braga	0	(0)
2006	→ Penafiel (loan)	13	(5)
2007–2009	Atlético Madrid	0	(0)
2007	→ Braga (loan)	7	(0)
2007–2008	→ Celta (loan)	30	(5)
2008–2009	→ Albacete (loan)	35	(10)
2009–2010	Valladolid	34	(8)
2010–	Atlético Madrid	28	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Diego da Silva Costa (born 7 October 1988 in Lagarto, Sergipe) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid in the Spanish first division, as a striker.

Football career

Costa started his career at Barcelona Esportivo Capela, in São Paulo, being limited to street football until the age of 16.^[1] His first professional adventure was in Portugal, as he signed in February 2006 with Sporting de Braga,^[2] after which he spent the following months with the club's reserves.

In the 2006 summer, Costa was loaned to F.C. Penafiel, in the second division. In December, however, he was sold to Spain's Atlético Madrid, for €1.5 million and 50% of the player's rights.^[3] He remained on loan at Braga until the end of the season, scoring his first goal for the club in the UEFA Cup, a 1–0 win at Parma FC (2–0 on aggregate). For the following two years, he would be again loaned, on both occasions to Segunda División outfits, starting with Celta de Vigo, then with Albacete Balompié, appearing and scoring regularly.

On 8 July 2009, Costa was sold to Real Valladolid as part of the deal that sent goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo in the opposite direction, with the transfer including a buy-back option that could be activated by Atlético at the end of the season.^[4] He started strong for the Castile and León side, scoring six times in his first 12 matches, but only found the net once in the following five 1/2 months, as the campaign eventually ended in La Liga relegation.

In June 2010, Costa returned to the Colchoneros, for a fee of €1 million, initially as a backup to Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlán. On 26 September, benefitting from injury to the Argentine (who was sitting on the substitutes bench), he scored the game's only goal, at home against Real Zaragoza.^[5] On 3 April of the following year, already as a starter after manager Quique Flores demoted the Uruguayan from his position, he scored all of his team's goals in a 3–2 win at CA Osasuna.^[6]

In late July 2011, during Atlético's preseason, Costa suffered a serious knee injury, going on to miss the majority of the season.^[7]

Club statistics

(correct as of 3 April 2011)

Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cup		Continental		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Penafiel	2006–07	13	5	–	–	0	0	13	5
Braga		7	0	–	–	2	1	9	1
Celta	2007–08	30	5	0	0	–	–	30	5
Albacete	2008–09	35	10	0	0	–	–	35	10
Valladolid	2009–10	34	7	2	1	–	–	36	8
Atlético Madrid	2010–11	23	6	5	1	6	1	34	8
	Total	142	33	7	2	8	2	157	37

References

1. ^ "A Primera desde la calle [Diego Costa: To Primera from the streets]" (in Spanish). El País. 23 January 2010. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Primera/calle/elpepudep/20100123elpepidep_1/Tes. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
2. ^ "Relatório de transferências internacionais [International transfers report]" (in Portuguese). Brazilian FA. 22 January 2007. http://www2.uol.com.br/cbf/bid/ti2006.htm. 
3. ^ "Sporting Clube de Braga – Annual report and financial statements for 2006/2007" (in Portuguese). CMVM. 15 August 2008. http://web3.cmvm.pt/english/sdi2004/emitentes/docs/fsd12562.pdf. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
4. ^ Asenjo ya es el nuevo portero del Atlético (Asenjo new Atlético goalkeeper); Diario AS, 8 July 2009 (Spanish)
5. ^ "Atletico edge past rock-bottom Zaragoza". ESPN Soccernet. 26 September 2010. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/301888?cc=5739. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
6. ^ "Diego Costa treble seals Atletico triumph". ESPN Soccernet. 3 April 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/301869?cc=5739. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
7. ^ "Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa to miss six months with cruciate ligament injury". Goal.com. 28 July 2011. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3277/la-liga/2011/07/28/2594945/atletico-madrids-diego-costa-to-miss-six-months-with. Retrieved 3 September 2011. 

External links

• Atlético Madrid official profile
• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• BDFutbol profile
• Transfermarkt profile

Persondata
Name	Costa, Diego Silva
Alternative names	Costa, Diego
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	7 October 1988
Place of birth	Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil
Date of death
Place of death