Diego Costa: How bullying and rejection drove Chelsea's goal machine to the top

FACT FILE

Full name: Diego da Silva Costa

Date of birth: October 7, 1988

Place of birth: Lagarto, Brazil

Height: 6ft 2in

Position: Striker

Clubs: 2006 Braga (0 games, 0 goals) 2006 Penafiel (13, 5) 2007-09 Atletico Madrid (0, 0) 2007 Braga (7, 0) 2007-08 Celta Vigo (30, 6) 2008-09 Albacete (34, 10) 2009-10 Real Valladolid (36, 9) 2010-14 Atletico Madrid (135, 64) 2012 Rayo Vallecano (16, 10) 2014- Chelsea (34, 20)

International: Brazil (2 caps), Spain (7 caps, 1 goal)

Jose Mourinho smiled. It was only the tiniest smirk, but everyone crammed inside Crystal Palace’s claustrophobic press room beneath the Selhurst Park main stand on Saturday, March 29 could see it.

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Andrew Murray is a freelance journalist, who regularly contributes to both the FourFourTwo magazine and website. Formerly a senior staff writer at FFT and a fluent Spanish speaker, he has interviewed major names such as Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero and Xavi. He was also named PPA New Consumer Journalist of the Year 2015.