Diego Costa to join Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at Sunderland’s Wearside Legends Game | OneFootball

Diego Costa is set to appear at the Stadium of Light as part of the Wearside Legends Game, according to Sunderland Echo.

The ex-Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Spain striker has been named in Team Ronaldinho for Ronaldinho & Friends v Defoe & UK Icons. The match is on Monday, 25 May, with a 5pm kick-off. Ronaldinho headlines the fixture, with Jermain Defoe leading the UK Icons.

Costa, 37, won two Premier League titles and the League Cup at Chelsea. With Atletico he collected La Liga, the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup. Born in Brazil, he later won 24 caps for Spain, scoring 10 goals, and played at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Team Ronaldinho already boasts Gilberto Silva, Maicon, Douglas Costa, Philippe Coutinho, Ramires, Kleberson and Nwankwo Kanu. Former Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse and ex-loanee Nicklas Bendtner are also included.

Defoe’s UK Icons carry a strong Sunderland thread, with Kevin Phillips, Steven Fletcher, Lee Cattermole, Phil Bardsley, Danny Collins and Pascal Chimbonda involved. They are joined by Heurelho Gomes, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Pennant, Aaron Lennon, Sandro and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The showcase promises hefty nostalgia on Wearside. Ronaldinho won the Ballon d’Or in 2005 and was part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning squad.

Sunderland owners Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori, plus director of football Florent Ghisolfi, are also set to be involved. The game takes place one day after Sunderland’s final Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

Source: Sunderland Echo