10 Best Spanish Players In Premier League History
6. Diego Costa
There are few players that have caused as much controversy in Premier League history as Diego Costa has.
His size, strength, brutish nature, and tendency to wind up opponents will never be forgotten. Nor will his ability to find the back of the net.
The fiery striker left Atletico Madrid for Chelsea in 2014 and instantly set Stamford Bridge alight, scoring 21 goals in his debut campaign to secure a league and League Cup double.
A terrible season followed for Costa and Chelsea however, with his temperament and discipline repeatedly called into question by pundits and supporters. Even his own teammate Kurt Zouma admitted:
“Diego likes to cheat a lot.”
He would go to win another league title with the Blues in 2017, but fell out of favour with manager Antonio Conte, who effectively dumped the Spaniard by text that summer. He eventually returned to Atletico where he still plays today, although he is nowhere near as good as he was in his prime.
Despite being an extremely unpopular player during his three years in England, Costa still managed to score at a rate of a goal every other game, while his direct replacement, fellow Spanish international Alvaro Morata, flopped massively. He may not have been loved but Costa was a necessary evil for Chelsea.