Why we should love Diego Costa - Telegraph

[Dedworth]

"Football needs another Eric Cantona," says The Daily Telegraph's chief sports writer, Paul Hayward. "One who turns his collar up, looks at the world like it's his ping-pong ball and says what he thinks."

The closest we have to Cantona these days is probably Zlatan Ibrahimovic - the arrogance, the swagger and the uncanny ability to shock and surprise in equal measure - but he plays in France for PSG, and we don't really see much of him.

Do we have another Cantona slightly closer to home? A player we can't help but like and are not sure why? Step forward Diego Costa...

For starters, he's not afraid to alienate an entire nation. And not just any old nation. The most football-mad country on the planet who, last year, just happened to host the most important event in the football calendar. That's right, Costa, born in Brazil, elected to turn his back on the land of his birth and represent Spain. That takes balls. Especially as he then had to play for his adopted country at the World Cup in front of a few million unhappy Brazilians.

Second, he's old school. And in England we like that. So often South American forwards arrive in the Premier League and struggle to adapt - the weather, the food, the language, the physicality - they find something to moan about. But not Diego. He's big, he's bad and he's ugly and is about as ideally suited as you can get to a Premier League centre-forward.

Thirdly, he's not flash. At Chelsea he's one of their top earners, following his £32 million move from Atletico Madrid, but you won't see him spilling out of nightclubs, smoking on the job, tweeting something insanely stupid or arriving for training in the latest model of Ferrari.

Fourth, he loves football. Costa is in the same mould as Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Man City's Sergio Aguero. Like the Chilien and Argentine, he plays football like he's out in the park. He wants the ball. He may not have the speed of Sanchez or Aguero but he makes up for that with raw power. And he's not afraid not get stuck in. He just wants to play.

Fifth, he's not exactly an oil painting. That may sound harsh but there's something endearing about Costa's weathered, beaten-up look. If you had to go into battle with a footballer, Diego Costa is a man you'd want by your side. And he won't back down. He almost came to blows with Liverpool's Jordan Henderson in the Anfield tunnel the other night. Yeah, good luck with that one Jordan!

And finally, he's made it to the top the hard way. He may be on the big bucks now but Costa was no 16-year-old prodigy who had everything done for him and more money than his juvenile brain knew what to do with. No. In fact, up until 16 he was still playing street football in Brazil. Costa is walking, talking proof that good things come to those who wait

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...ego-Costa.html

[Terpe]

I was always a big fan of Eric Cantona, both on the field of play and off.

There'll never be another

[Dedworth]

[Rory]

I think Cantona and Costa are very different players and people. The only similarities I can see is that they take no sh** but the same can be said about a lot of players. Julian Dicks, Jaap Stam, Vinnie Jones, Duncan Ferguson, Stuart Pearce or Roy Keane.

All different players in their own right and household names.

Costa is a big ugly bear and that gives him an advantage from the start.

[les_taxi]

I was always a big fan of Eric Cantona, both on the field of play and off.

There'll never be another

Totally agree - he is my favourite player of all time - he was the magic dust that turned United into the dominating force we once were

[Arthur Little]

Costa is a big ugly bear ...

Hmm ... ... couldn't be much uglier than Les's current avatar ...!

[andy222]

Overrated and overpaid.

[les_taxi]

Hmm ... ... couldn't be much uglier than Les's current avatar ...!

It's a true likeness

[Ako Si Jamie]

Costa won't be picking up an F.A Cup Winners medal this season that's for certain.

[Dedworth]

Costa won't be picking up an F.A Cup Winners medal this season that's for certain.

Nope he was at home with his feet up

[andy222]

Maybe he smelt the coffee?

[andy222]

Costa charged with violent conduct. It was a disgrace the way he stamped on Emre Can.

[les_taxi]

This behaviour needs stamping out.

[andy222]

He should be banned.

[les_taxi]

If you're gonna do it, at least do it properly - like King Eric did - kick a slob supporter in the mush!

[Dedworth]

FA egged-on by an anti CFC/Mourinho Media Campaign Trial by Sky Sports - who devoted 10 minutes to "Costas Crimes" last night, with accompanying bile from Redknapp & the Cheat Henry

[andy222]

I'm all in favour of that, he's as bad as Ramirez Cheats.

[Dedworth]

[Pete/London]

Henry`s advice to Chelsea during the break last night, was to wind up Henderson - who was already on a yellow card - to provoke him into getting a red card. They quickly skated over those comments and moved on to Costa.

A crap pundit!