Diego Costa announces retirement, says his hunger to play has gone | OneFootball

Diego Costa has announced his retirement from football after leaving Grêmio at the end of 2024.

"I retired a while ago. Some people contacted me about one thing or another, but my hunger to play has gone," he said, speaking on the podcast El camino de Mario, hosted by former Atlético Madrid team-mate Mário Suárez.

His final club was Grêmio in 2024, and his last appearance came on 8 December in a home defeat to Corinthians in Porto Alegre.

Signed to replace Suárez, he started brightly, delivering eight goals and five assists in 27 matches for the Porto Alegre side.

He also helped with rescues during the floods that hit the region in May 2024.

Before Grêmio he played for Botafogo and Atlético-MG, winning the Brazilian league title with the latter.

Costa is best known for spells at Chelsea and Atlético Madrid, and he represented Spain at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Across three stints with Atlético, he made 215 appearances and scored 84 goals, winning La Liga twice, the Europa League and three Spanish Super Cups, before leaving in 2020.

With Chelsea he won the Premier League twice and recorded 59 goals and 24 assists in 120 matches.

Source: Globo.com