I shouldn’t have joined Chelsea – I knew I had to leave after being demoted to reserves

Diego Costa's full throttle spell with Chelsea ended in bitter fashion as the striker was frozen out by at the time Blues boss Antonio Conte over a text message

There are dozens of reasons why Diego Costa is still loved at Stamford Bridge by the Chelsea faithful.

From 2014 to 2017, the Brazilian-born striker was never far from the spotlight whenever he turned out for the Blues. He netted goals for fun, roughed up opposition defenders (even biting Gareth Barry once), and playing a crucial role in winning two Premier League titles.

Costa’s second title came in his last season with the west Londoners, where he ended the campaign as Chelsea’s top scorer with 20 goals in the league. But growing tensions behind the scenes with then-manager Antonio Conte would see him exiled from the squad in the summer of 2017 and eventually return to his former side Atletico Madrid.

Sharing his perspective a year after his departure in September 2018, the maverick No. 19 criticised Conte’s managerial approach and admitted he should not have joined Chelsea in the first place. He told Marca: "I was wrong going to Chelsea, because of their way of dealing with things. Cholo [Atletico coach Diego Simeone] is a direct coach, and when he doesn't love you, it's clear and he shows it.

"At Chelsea it was the opposite. I had the option of returning to Atleti and when Chelsea told me to go back to training with the reserves, I was clear that I was going back to Atletico, even though there were other offers.”

Costa's problems with Chelsea came to light in early 2017 following his exclusion from the squad for an away match against Leicester, despite being their top scorer with 14 Premier League goals at the time. His benching was due to an argument with a fitness coach about how to handle his back pain, which escalated into a heated row with Antonio Conte.

READ MORE: Every word Enzo Maresca said on late scuffle, Jackson incident, Colwill and Madueke injury issues

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca's perfect Chelsea record is no surprise but Leicester City warning is clear

Amidst this, Costa was reportedly tempted by a £30million-a-year offer from China that would have made him one of the world's highest-paid players, second only to Carlos Tevez. Although Chelsea initially stated they wouldn't sell him, the situation was clearly affecting their relationship with Costa.

The conflict between Conte and Costa reached its peak in June 2017 when Conte sent a text message to Spain international informing him he was no longer part of his plans. Costa, then 28, claimed the Italian had texted the players wishing them a good holiday and telling them to stay fit.

Costa replied in a jokey manner and was sent a very serious message in response by Conte, who wrote: “Hi Diego, I hope you are well. Thanks for the season we spent together. Good luck for the next year but you are not in my plan.” The striker showed his team-mates the exchange, saying: "My relationship with the coach has been bad this season. It is a shame, I have already forwarded the message to Chelsea people to decide."

Costa later reflected on the incident, branding it a "moment of madness" and labelling the text as "disrespectful". The forward, now with Brazilian side Gremio, said: “I always asked to speak face to face with the coach or 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 as they’d always supported me.”

Costa, who turns 36 years old today (Monday, October 7), finally sealed his move to Atletico in September 2017, three years after his initial £32m transfer from the Spanish club. He claimed Chelsea had treated him like a “criminal”, keeping him at Stamford Bridge against his will by demanding a ludicrous transfer fee.

He departed Chelsea with an impressive 58 goals in 120 outings, while Conte's own tenure at the helm ended in bitter circumstances in July 2018. Conte has since spoken about the feud, suggesting in 2020 that Costa’s interest in leaving the club during the season is what resulted in their fractured relationship.

Conte, now in charge of Napoli, told The Telegraph: “First of all, I am a person that doesn’t want to speak badly about a situation with a player from a club that I trained. It’s right always to keep good memories and I prefer to keep good memories also about Diego Costa because we won together a league title in an incredible season.

“But, for sure, the truth, we know the truth. The player, his agent, the club and I. We know how many times he asked to go away to Atletico Madrid at the start of the season, during the season to go to China, and at the end of the season to join, again, Atletico Madrid.

“This is the truth and, honestly, in my career I want to have players who are concentrated on my team and not to consider my team a second choice. My team must be the first choice.

“It was an incredible season and I managed, together with the club, the Diego Costa situation in the best possible way. But, in the end, the truth was only that the player wanted to leave many times to Atletico Madrid and during the season to go to China because he wanted the best contract.”

However, Costa's comments two years later when he returned to face Chelsea for Wolves showed he was not willing to bury the hatchet just yet. He refused to name the Italian in an interview, saying: "I've never had a problem with the fans. My problem was not with the crowd, it was with that coach. I left in bad terms with that manager, I left a champion for the second time, and he didn't count on me.

"That was nothing I could do. I had to leave. Today showed that I did not leave on bad terms with the fans. It's very special. It's the feeling that in the time that you spent here, you did good work and left good memories. Chelsea fans always treated me very well. I was always surprised by the way they treated me. It's satisfying."

football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel

Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!

Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.

Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!