Following a £32 million switch which saw Diego Costa swap the capital of Spain for the capital of England, headlines have been close at hand in his debut season, for both creditable and unsavoury incidents.
Creditable being seventeen goals and two assists in just nineteen appearances in one of the most physically grueling leagues in the world. Unsavoury seeing the governing body of that league banning the Brazilian-born striker for three games for a charge of violent conduct.
However, the so-called ‘bad-guy’ has revealed a side contradictory to his combative style on the pitch and a side not often seen in the media. Hailing from the small town of Lagarto, a city close to Brazil’s Atlantic coastline, Diego Costa has decided to give something back despite leaving at the age of fourteen in his quest to become one of the most revered forwards on the planet.
With the aid of his agent, Costa has set up a school to help the next generation of the town, with education the leading priority. Costa spoke of his intentions recently and seems happy with the results:
‘I wanted to help the kids stay away from the streets, stay away from drugs, and the academy can only bring new things to these kids. There is more to win than to lose.
‘The school is not a big thing yet. I originally thought I had to give something back to my city, that’s why I created this. Lagarto is a small town so it will grow little by little.
‘We’ve got great professionals working in there. The kids have food, good medication, a good quality of life, there is nothing missing. The coaches are always happy and open to help with anything. Some of the kids may not become professionals in the future but they will be better people.
‘The main target is education rather than football. I want children to attend the school and not miss any days. I don’t have any lucrative aim, and I am happy to have this school.’
Costa also spoke out against the disgraceful scenes that took place on the Paris metro prior to Tuesday evening’s kick-off. Amateur footage has emerged capturing a small group of Chelsea fans preventing a black man from boarding a train whilst chanting of their ‘pride’ in being racist.
‘It’s very important, especially because of the magnitude of the club,’ said the striker. ‘Chelsea can set an example with regards to equality within the game.
‘I know the club has been doing a lot of work in order to promote equality and take away discrimination. A lot of hard work has been done and it’s hugely important.’
Moreover, the Spanish international also acknowledged the role himself and his team-mates can play in terms of setting an example to the millions of young children who view them as role models.
‘We work every day and we know we are a big example to children around the world,’ he said.
‘It’s important to remember that we are all learning ourselves because we are not born with lots of knowledge. Children look up to us and that’s where they learn their traits from, so we are very important in the process.’
Furthermore, the mercurial forward went on to explain why there is no room for discrimination of any kind, not just in football, but also in the wider community.
‘It’s a delicate issue, not just racism, but discrimination as a whole,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘It doesn’t matter about your social status or whether you have good or bad financial conditions.
‘It’s important we put a lot of work into it because the more people speak about these issues, the more chance there is of it getting out into the public domain.
‘People that suffer from discrimination shouldn’t stay quiet, because speaking about it will help them become stronger.
‘As a community, as people, we must look at discrimination with real care, because people suffer from it unnecessarily and it’s important we help one another.’