Chelsea striker Diego Costa is undoubtedly one of the best soccer players on the planet. He’s fast, strong, tough, and has merciless instinct for goal. He’s also pretty scrappy. Did we say pretty scrappy? We meant very scrappy. And Costa makes no apologies for it:
“I don’t think I have done anything malicious … If I change in any way, I’m not going to be the same player. It doesn’t matter if defenders want to battle with me or not, I will just be trying to do my job as well as I possibly can.”
Things boiled over again on Saturday when, during Chelsea’s 2-0 over Arsenal, when Costa invoked such a furious reaction from an Arsenal player that he eventually got sent off. Opponents said the incident solidified Costa’s status as soccer’s dirtiest player, which is probably a fair. May we present the evidence:
Exhibit A
(EPA/ANDY RAIN)
Exhibit B
(Getty)
Exhibit C
(Getty Images)
Exhibit D
(REUTERS/Eddie Keogh)
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Exhibit G
Exhibit H
Exhibit I
Exhibit J
Exhibit K
Exhibit L
Exhibit M
