Nobody knew: ex-São Paulo defender who benched Miranda on Russia move | OneFootball

Center-back Diego Costa spent almost ten years at São Paulo, from his arrival in 2015, initially to play for the U-17 team, until 2024, when he transferred to Krasnodar in Russia. At 20, he was already a starter for Tricolor, even keeping club idol Miranda out of the lineup before accepting a European offer and leaving the club that developed him.

But the real reason for his departure has only now been revealed by the former São Paulo player: an injury that caused the defender constant pain and disrupted his rhythm at Tricolor.

“After the Copa Sudamericana final (in 2022), I was already playing through a lot of pain. When I returned to action, it took me a long time to get back into rhythm. I couldn’t recover the form I had at the beginning,” Diego Costa said in an interview with Trivela.

“Because I came back from injury and didn’t have a preseason, I spent a year playing without being able to train properly. Because of the schedule, I had to come back quickly. I didn’t feel good about what I was able to offer the club when I returned,” revealed the Cotia academy product.

It was in 2022, after the usual instability in the senior squad, that he definitively took over a starting spot in Tricolor’s defense under Rogério Ceni, who made Diego the team captain, leaving the experienced Miranda on the bench.

“Rogério Ceni gave me the captain’s armband because I’ve always been someone who works very hard and tries to give my best. On the pitch, I’ve always liked helping my teammates by guiding them during the game. As a very young leader, you learn a lot, but you also make plenty of mistakes. Fortunately, I learned from the older players.”

Even without feeling fully fit the following year because of the injury, he kept playing, now with Dorival Jr. as coach.

“With Dorival, I managed to get a bit of continuity and play in the most important matches of that Copa do Brasil campaign. I also played in the Supercopa under Carpini, but I still didn’t feel 100% physically or fully confident because of the injury.”

“When I started playing again, I wasn’t getting as much space anymore, and that’s when the offer from Krasnodar came up,” the defender said.

Even with his destination country banned from European competitions because of the war, Diego Costa ended up being won over by the project presented by the Russians for his move to the Old Continent.

“They presented me with a project here in Russia. Everything they promised me was delivered, and I arrived with a lot of support. I saw that I needed this: a new environment, to grow, mature, and come to Europe. I wanted to experience another culture and a very physical style of football. I’m very grateful for everything I lived through at São Paulo, but this was an important step in my career that is helping me mature a lot,” the player said.

Today, Diego Costa is one of Krasnodar’s leaders, with excellent defensive numbers and more than 60 appearances for the team, with three goals scored. The adaptation was obviously difficult, but the commanding center-back plans to remain abroad and is ruling out a return to São Paulo for now.

“Getting used to it and adapting to their culture is hard. You leave Brazil, that warmth, the fans, the beach, the constant sunshine, the nice weather. And then you come here. Whether you like it or not, you feel the change, but Krasnodar is very hot. In fact, today we spent the whole day in the sun with pleasant weather,” he said.

“My focus is completely on this final stretch of the season. I want to win these trophies for the club and make history here again. That’s what might take me to another club or another place in the future, since things change very quickly in football,” the center-back said.

For Tricolor, between 2019 and 2024, Diego Costa made 161 appearances, scored five goals, and won the 2023 Copa do Brasil and the 2024 Supercopa do Brasil.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.