Diego Costa at Chelsea -"Cheating" mistake, biting accusation and AWOL in Brazil

Few strikers sparked fear inside the hearts of opposition defenders quite like Diego Costa did while he was operating at the peak of his powers at Chelsea.

The Brazilian-born Spanish international was as gifted at fighting as he was at finishing, which made him a nighmare to handle. "It's hard for Diego to change a habit of a lifetime. He always loses his temper easily and ends up in fights when he plays football," claimed Jair Costa - the striker's older brother, to The Sun on Sunday back in 2015.

To many, that temper defined an era of Chelsea's modern history, with Costa's win-at-all-costs attitude essential to securing the 2017 Premier League title, the last one won by the Blues under former boss Antonio Conte (more on him later).

Fast forward five years and the forward is all set for a glorious return to Stamford Bridge, only this time he'll be donning the colours of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ahead of his first visit back to West London since his departure, Mirror Football has taken a look at some of the memorable moments of madness that took place during Costa's time at Chelsea.

'That' London derby

Games between Chelsea and Arsenal are often heated contests, especially when throwing in the personal rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger. In September of 2015, the stage was set for some drama and Costa more than stepped up to the plate.

The striker antagonised just about every Arsenal player in his line of sight, but particularly Laurent Koscielny. The pair clashed after Costa appeared to push the Frenchman in the face before flinging his hand backwards and slapping him.

A heated exchange between both sets of players ensued, before Arsenal's Gabriel was sent off for his 'kick' on Costa that saw the forward fall to the ground and prompted Mike Dean to reduce the Gunners to 10 men as a result.

Wenger did not hold back in his assessment of the situation after the game, dubbing Costa's antics as "disgusting" while his own teammate Kurt Zouma dubbed him a cheat in an interview with BeIN Sports, though Zouma soon backtracked and put the misunderstanding down to the language barrier.

Though it would have no impact on the game itself, Gabriel's red card was later rescinded while Costa did actually receive a three-match ban for his part in all the conflict.

More violent conduct

Costa didn't reserve his most physical battles for just Arsenal games, though maybe he had something against red as he often went into clashes against Liverpool 'on the edge'.

During one notably heated League Cup affair with the Reds, Costa had multiple bust-ups with many different Liverpool players - including a staredown with then-captain Steven Gerrard.

Where the striker went too far however, was when he stamped on both Martin Skrtel and Emre Can. Both incidents prompted angry responses from the victims in question and understandably so.

Both Jamie Redknapp and Thierry Henry claimed that the striker had gone too far this time, but perhaps they should read Costa's own assessment of his on-pitch conduct from a few months after that night.

"On the pitch don't try and put wings on me, as I am no angel," he explained to BBC 's Football Focus. "I think that football has always had a passionate, aggressive side, with players giving their all. People have to get used to this.

"Some people seem to think football is like theatre, and that everyone has to play the good guy. But I think that you transform when you cross the white line, you're not the same person as off it.

"I give no quarter and I ask for none. Out there I'm going to fight for my team and do the best I can. I'm not going to change that because of what people may think of it."

Barry bite

Whether it is something in the blood of certain South American-born strikers that makes them try to bite opponents is unclear, but Costa took a leaf out of Luis Suarez's book in early 2016.

Suarez is of course guilty of two infamous bites during his career, while Costa as far as we are aware has just the one (allegedly). His came during a 2-0 defeat by Everton in the quarter-final of the FA Cup when it looked as if he tried to take a chunk out of Gareth Barry.

It marked the first red card given to Costa for nearly two years which is certainly a surprise, but arguably not as surprising as receiving one for trying to bite another player.

While both Barry and Costa denied any bite happened, the forward was dismissed and handed a three-game ban for his refusal to leave the pitch after the red was dished out.

The punishment didn't end there, with Spain boss Vincente del Bosque dropping Costa from the La Roja squad in response to his conduct.

Brazil retreat and Conte fall-out

After his relationship with then-Blues manager Conte was damaged beyond repair, Costa returned to Brazil from the start of the summer in 2017 all the way through to late September - well aware he was missing the start of that Premier League season in the process.

The decision to flee to Sao Paulo stemmed from his bust-up with the boss, a feud that first started as a result of Conte informing Costa he was no longer part of his plans via a text.

While still employed by Chelsea, Costa spoke about how the exchange made him feel to MC News, revealing: "Conte's text? It was a moment of madness. It can happen, but I thought it was disrespectful.

"I always asked to speak face to face with the coach and the board. I never sent [them] text messages, so it shows what kind of person he is. If something makes me sad about this situation, it's [the fans'] affection as they'd always supported me, even during the delicate moments.

"If I'd been in the team for three years, it was for them and the dressing room, which was very much united. It was a great experience."

Costa ended up returning to Atletico Madrid later that same summer, ending his three-year stint as one of the Premier League's most-feared marksman.

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