By Safiu Kehinde
Former Chelsea striker, Diego Costa has short-lived his stay at Atletico Mineiro by terminating his contract after four months.
The fiery striker joined the Brazilian side last year’s August after being released by Atletico Madrid in December 2020. His short stint with Mineiro, however, saw him score four goals in 15 appearances and also win the domestic double with the club alongside former Porto and Zenith Petersburg striker, Hulk.
Following his contract termination, the 33-year-old is now a free agent and looks likely to return to La Liga where he spent the active part of his career.
Diego Costa joined Chelsea in June 2014, signing a five-year contract with the Blues. His stint at Chelsea saw him win two Premier League titles and one League Cup. He is also known among Premier League defenders who had encountered his bullish attitude.
After three successful years at Chelsea, Costa earned himself a return to Atletico Madrid where he had earlier spent four years, scoring 43 goals in 94 appearances before joining Chelsea.
However, his return to Madrid was not as entertaining as his first stint with Diego Simeone’s men. Costa endured injury plague and personal problem at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium. The signing of Luiz Suarez in 2020 further jeopardized Costa’s playing time at Atletico Madrid.
He managed to bag 61 appearances and 12 goals in total during his second spell at Atletico before terminating his contract which made him a free agent for a long period of time before being signed up by Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.
Despite spending only 4 months with Mineiro, Costa has, once again, terminated his contract and is currently a free agent. He eyes a return to Spain – a country he chose over Brazil at the national level.
