09 February 2024 , 12:40
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Former Chelsea forward Diego Costa has joined Gremio on a free transfer.
The 35-year-old left fellow Brazilian side Botafogo in December after four months with the club. Costa spent January without a team and was linked with a move to Palmeiras.
He previously had an eight-month spell at Wolves, scoring one goal in 25 appearances before leaving last summer. Costa most renowned for his time at Chelsea, however, where he won the Premier League twice and the Carabao Cup, netting 59 times during his three-year stint.
But now, Costa has found a new club after penning a deal with Gremio. The club tweeted on Thursday night: "He is Spanish, but has Brazilian blood and titles wherever he has been!
"Diego Costa arrives to strengthen Imortal's attack. Multi-time champion in Europe, he has already worn yellow and red and will now defend the Tricolor mantle. Welcome!'"
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This is Costa's 12th club of his career after starting his senior career at Braga in February 2006. He spent time out on loan at Penafiel, before moving to Atletico Madrid in December 2006. However, Costa remained at Braga until the end of the season, where he failed to score in seven appearances.
Costa was dubbed as the "new Kaka" by Atletico president Enrique Cerezo after he was unveiled. He made his debut for the club in August 2007, but was sent out on loan to Celta Vigo later that month. Costa became a regular in at Celta and enjoyed a successful season-long loan spell.
Diego Costa won two Premier League titles at Chelsea (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Having spent two further loan spells at Albacete and then Real Valladolid, Costa was handed a chance to impress in the first-team set up at Atletico ahead of the start of the 2010/11 season. Initially used as back up to Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan, Costa forced his way into the XI at the end of the campaign.
However, after suffering a serious knee injury in the summer of 2011, Costa would go on to miss six months of football. He joined Vallecano on loan in the following January as he tried to get back to match sharpness. Costa ended up scoring 10 goals in 16 appearances during a successful loan stint.
That form helped him return to Atletico and cement his place as a pivotal figure in the side. Costa scored 20 goals in all competitions in the 2012/13 season as Atletico won the Copa del Rey. He then bettered that figure by striking 36 in 52 matches as Diego Simeone's side won the La Liga title and lost in the Champions League final.
(Getty Images)Costa was simply unplayable at times in 2013/14 and it earned him a big-money move to Chelsea. The Spaniard was a key member of the Blues side that won the Premier League twice in three years, netting a total of 59 goals in 120 appearances during a hugely triumphant stint in west London.
Having returned to Atletico in January 2018, Costa struggled to recapture the same form and wasn't as influential in his second spell in Madrid. In fact, Costa scored a mere 19 goals in 81 appearances over four years before leaving the club to join Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.
He spent one season at Mineiro, before moving back to the Premier League and signing for Wolves in September 2022. Costa scored his first goal for the club in April 2023 against Brentford and left the West Midlands outfit last summer having struck just once in 25 appearances.
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