Early career Costa signed for his first European club in February 2006, Portugal's
Braga. He initially struggled with loneliness and the comparatively cold weather of northern Portugal. Out of action due to the club's lack of a youth team, he was loaned that summer to
Penafiel in the
second division, managed by former
Portugal international Rui Bento, who desired the "rough diamond". Through his negotiations with Spain's
Atlético Madrid, but he remained on loan at Braga until the end of
the season. Atlético defeated interest from
Porto and
Recreativo de Huelva for Costa's signature, with director
Jesús García Pitarch admitting that it was a risk to pay so much for an inexperienced player. On 23 February, he came on in the 71st minute for
Zé Carlos and scored his first goal for the team, a last-minute goal for a 1–0 win at
Parma to advance
2–0 on aggregate to the Last 16 of the
UEFA Cup. His season ended after seven games due to a
metatarsal injury which ruled him out for six months. Costa was presented by Atlético Madrid president
Enrique Cerezo on 10 July 2007 as "the new
Kaká". While scout Javier Hernández wished for him to return to fitness in the
club's reserves, García Pitarch instead suggested loaning Costa out immediately.
Celta Vigo Later that month, Costa and
Mario Suárez were loaned to
Segunda División side Celta de Vigo for the season, and Costa became a regular in the team, managed by former
Ballon d'Or winner
Hristo Stoichkov. In his seventh league match, he scored his first goal in Spanish football in a dominant home victory over
Xerez; after scoring, he showboated, causing a brawl which resulted in him being sent off. Costa was subsequently rested from Celta's away game against the same opposition. The event drew the wrath of Stoichkov, who unexpectedly left his position. Towards the middle of the season, he was involved in two further controversies: he struck
Málaga defender
Weligton in the head, causing an injury which required medical stitches, and was sent off against
Sevilla Atlético for
diving and dissent, leaving his team to fight for a draw without him. The loyal strike partner of
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie despite the pair not sharing a common language, he was dropped for Cypriot
Ioannis Okkas. but later on in the campaign, he was sent off against
Tenerife at
Balaídos, after which Celta went from winning 2–0 to drawing 2–2. The team barely avoided relegation, and Costa earned a reputation for being a disruptive influence.
Albacete Despite earning a poor reputation for his conduct, Costa attracted interest from
Salamanca,
Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Málaga after his loan at Celta; García Pitarch ruled out any approach from the latter, fearing how Costa would behave on the
Costa del Sol. After attending Atlético's pre-season tour of Mexico, he signed on loan for
Albacete, also of Segunda División, on 22 August 2008, signing a contract which would have a lower fee depending on how many games he played. He initially threatened to terminate his deal with the
Castile-La Mancha team, on account of the quality of his teammates and
the city's lack of a beach. The
Queso Mecánico suffered with financial problems during Costa's loan, with him threatening to strike unless their non-playing staff were paid in full. He was dropped to the bench by manager
Juan Ignacio Martínez for the home game against
Real Sociedad on 13 December as punishment for an argument with goalkeeper
Jonathan, but came on as a substitute to score another late winner. Costa was known for misbehaviour on and off the pitch while at Albacete. He was sent off to Tenerife, after which he slandered the referee's mother and confronted his opponents. He pulled
practical jokes on his teammates and employers, earning him the moniker "that fucking Brazilian". However, he was a central figure as they avoided relegation, assisting twice in a 3–0 win at high-flying
Rayo Vallecano on 2 May 2009, despite missing a penalty.
Valladolid during an away Real Valladolid fixture versus
FC Barcelona in May 2010 In the summer of 2009, Costa was desired by
Barcelona for their
reserve team, an approach which Atlético rejected, citing that he remained in their plans. Frustrated by his lack of opportunities, however, a now overweight Costa argued with his management and attempted to negotiate a move to Brazil's
Esporte Clube Vitória. On 8 July 2009, Costa was sold to
Real Valladolid as part of the deal that sent
goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo in the opposite direction, with the transfer including a €1 million buy-back option that could be activated by Atlético at the end of
the season. García Pitarch confessed that there was a verbal agreement that Costa would definitely return at the end of the campaign, and that the deal had been made to look permanent in order to give Costa more commitment to his new club. Initially, Costa had competition up front from fellow new signings
Alberto Bueno and
Manucho, signed from
Real Madrid and
Manchester United respectively; he eventually forged a friendship with the latter, a fellow
lusophone from Angola. He started strong for the
Castile and León side, scoring 6 times in his first 12 games, but only found the net once in the following five-and-a-half months as the campaign eventually ended in
relegation from
La Liga. He was sent off in a goalless draw against
Espanyol on 24 March 2010 for a stamp on
Dídac Vilà in the first half.
Atlético Madrid 2010–13 ,
celebrating with the goalscorer,
Alhassane Bangoura, in a match against
Levante, on 19 February 2012 In June 2010, Costa returned to the
Colchoneros, initially as a backup to
Sergio Agüero and
Diego Forlán – Atlético also paid an undisclosed sum to Braga to buy all the residual 30% economic rights (the former also had to pay in excess of €833,000 in agent's fees to
Gestifute). He was an unused substitute as Atlético won the
2010 UEFA Super Cup on 27 August. On 26 September, with the injured Agüero on the
substitutes bench, Costa scored the game's only goal at home against
Real Zaragoza. On 3 April of the following year, already as a starter after manager
Quique Sánchez Flores demoted Forlán from his position, Costa scored all of his team's goals in a 3–2 win at
Osasuna. In July 2011, during
Atlético's pre-season, Costa suffered a serious knee injury, going on to miss the majority of
the season. The injury prevented him from passing a medical at Turkish club
Beşiktaş, having already agreed to transfer to them. On 23 January 2012, Costa was loaned to fellow league club
Rayo Vallecano until June; he scored four goals in his first three appearances, including two in a 5–3 away win against
Levante, eventually finishing his loan spell with 10 goals from 16 games. For the second time in his career, Costa was an unused substitute as Atlético won the
UEFA Super Cup on 1 September 2012. That December, Costa was involved in several on-field altercations in two separate matches. The first was in a 0–2
local derby loss against Real Madrid where he avoided disciplinary action after spitting incidents between him and
Sergio Ramos. He was
sent off in the following game at
Viktoria Plzeň in the
UEFA Europa League for headbutting opponent
David Limberský, and was handed a four-match ban by
UEFA. This, however, did not deter coach
Diego Simeone from continuing to start him, and he responded by scoring three goals in two home contests, against
Deportivo de La Coruña in the league (6–0) and
Getafe in
the season's
Copa del Rey (3–0). After the Copa del Rey semi-finals against
Sevilla, Costa took his goal tally in the competition to seven in as many matches, having scored three times in the tie. In the first leg he scored two
penalties in a 2–1 win and, in the second at the
Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, scored one after an individual effort and
assisted Radamel Falcao in the other, also being involved in incidents which resulted in two opposing players –
Gary Medel and
Geoffrey Kondogbia – being sent off in the 2–2 draw. Costa scored Atlético's equalising goal in the
Copa del Rey final clash against city rivals Real Madrid on 17 May 2013, contributing to the 2–1 triumph – the first in 25 games in a streak stretching back to 1999 – and the tenth win in the tournament, confirmed by
Miranda's
extra-time header. He and opponent
Cristiano Ronaldo had gone into the match as joint top scorers in the tournament,
2013–14 season against
Almería, on 14 September 2013 In August 2013, Costa was heavily linked with a move to
Liverpool, who allegedly matched his release clause of €25 million and offered him three times his salary at Atlético. Costa, however, chose to stay at the club and renewed his contract until 2018, while also doubling his wages; a few days after this, in the first match of
the new season on 19 August, he scored a brace in a 3–1 win at Sevilla. On 24 September, Costa scored both goals in a 2–1 home triumph over Osasuna to help his team stay level on points with league leaders Barcelona through six games. Four days later, in the Madrid derby, he scored the only goal of the game to record a second win over Real at the
Santiago Bernabéu in under five months. For his performances, he was crowned the inaugural
La Liga Player of the Month for September 2013. By his 25th birthday on 7 October, he had scored ten goals in eight league matches, equalling his tally from the previous season. All of those matches were won by Atlético, setting a new record for the best start to a season. On 23 November 2013, Costa scored an overhead volley from a cross by
Gabi in a win over Getafe; the goal was nominated for the
FIFA Puskás Award. On 22 October 2013, Costa marked his
UEFA Champions League debut with two goals against
Austria Wien, the first coming after a fine individual effort in an eventual
3–0 group stage away win. On 19 February 2014, in the first knockout round's first leg, he scored the game's only goal at
Milan, scoring seven minutes from time after a
corner kick from Gabi; he added a further two in the second match, helping Atlético to a 4–1 victory that put them into the quarter-finals for the first time in 17 years. On 30 April 2014, Costa won and converted a penalty in the second leg of the
Champions League semi-final against
Chelsea, as Atlético won 3–1 at
Stamford Bridge and advanced to
the final of the competition for the first time since
1974. He finished the league season with 27 league goals to become the third highest scorer, and the team won the title for the first time since 1996, but he was substituted after 16 minutes of the last match of the season against Barcelona due to a hamstring injury. Atlético sought to cure this injury before the upcoming
Champions League final against Real Madrid by sending him to
Belgrade for treatment with a horse placenta, and he was included in the starting line-up for the decisive match. However, he left the pitch after eight minutes in an eventual 1–4 loss; manager Diego Simeone later admitted a personal mistake in selecting the player to start the final despite his recent injury. Costa scored eight goals during the Champions League campaign, equalling the record held by
Vavá since 1959 for most in a season by an Atlético player, and in his entire career was in the top ten Atlético players by goal average. At the season's
LFP Awards, he was nominated for the league's Best Forward, losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Chelsea Having completed his medical in June, Chelsea announced on 1 July 2014 that they had agreed to meet the £32 million buy-out clause in Costa's contract. On 15 July, Chelsea confirmed the completion of the signing of Costa, who signed a five-year contract on a salary of £150,000 a week. On signing, Costa said, "I am very happy to sign for Chelsea. Everybody knows it is a big club in a very competitive league, and I am very excited to get started in England with a fantastic coach and teammates. Having played against Chelsea last season I know the high quality of the squad I am joining". the same number he wore at the 2014 World Cup for Spain and previously at Atlético.
2014–15 season Costa scored on his Chelsea debut on 27 July, running onto a through ball from
Cesc Fàbregas in a 2–1 friendly win against Slovene club
Olimpija. His first competitive match was Chelsea's first game of the
league season, away to
Burnley on 18 August, scoring the team's equaliser in a 3–1 victory. He scored in his third consecutive match on 30 August, the first and last goals of a 6–3 win at
Everton, the first goal coming after 35 seconds. Costa was given the
Premier League Player of the Month award for August 2014. He completed his first
Premier League hat-trick in his fourth game of the season against
Swansea City as Chelsea continued their perfect start to the season with a 4–2 win. With seven, Costa holds the record for most goals in his first four Premier League matches, surpassing the tally of six by both Sergio Agüero and
Micky Quinn. In spite of his form at the start of the season, Costa had been suffering from a recurring hamstring problem which limited his participation in training; manager
José Mourinho said that it would not heal until mid-November. celebrating Chelsea's victory in the
2015 Football League Cup Final Costa scored his tenth goal of the league season to give Chelsea a 2–1 win away to Liverpool on 8 November, preserving their unbeaten start to the campaign. In January, Costa was charged by
the FA in relation to a stamp on
Emre Can during Chelsea's win over Liverpool in the
League Cup semi-finals, and was given a three-match ban. Costa won his first trophy for Chelsea on 1 March, as they defeated
Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 to win the
League Cup at
Wembley Stadium; he scored the second goal of the game. On 26 April, Costa was chosen as one of two forwards for the season's
PFA Team of the Year, alongside Tottenham's
Harry Kane. Five of Costa's Chelsea teammates were also in the selection. Due to injury, he was due to miss the remainder of the season, in which Chelsea won the league title with a 1–0 home win over
Crystal Palace on 3 May. However, he featured in their last match of the season on the 24th, replacing the injured
Didier Drogba after half an hour against
Sunderland. Seven minutes later, he scored his 20th goal of the league campaign, an equalising penalty in an eventual 3–1 home win. With reports speculating that Costa wanting to leave Chelsea, Costa affirmed on 2 June 2015 after Chelsea's post-season tour that he had no desire to leave
London, saying, "It's always a bit more difficult in the first season for adaptation, but I have no reason to leave this place, I love it, the fans love me, and I want to stay. It's really good to come in the first season [to Chelsea] and win two things [the Premier League and the League Cup titles]. Next year I'll be ready to come back and, hopefully, win a couple more trophies."
2015–16 season . The latter would be the recipient of a red card later rescinded, while the former was charged with violent conduct. Due to injury, Costa missed the
2015 FA Community Shield, which Chelsea lost 1–0 to
rivals Arsenal. On 23 August, he scored his first goal of the campaign in a 2–3 win at
West Bromwich Albion, which was Chelsea's first victory of the campaign, set up by international teammate
Pedro. He scored his first Champions League goal for the team on 16 September, a volley from a Cesc Fàbregas ball in a 4–0 win over
Maccabi Tel Aviv. Three days later, Costa was involved in controversy in a 2–0 home win over Arsenal; he repeatedly slapped
Laurent Koscielny and chest-bumped him to the ground, and then confronted
Gabriel, who allegedly tried to kick him and was sent off, though footage from
ESPN Brazil later showed that little to no contact actually took place. He escaped any punishment at the time. His conduct was deemed "disgusting" by visiting manager
Arsène Wenger, and teammate
Kurt Zouma initially reacted by saying, "Diego likes to cheat a lot," but later clarified that he meant that "Diego is a player who puts pressure on his opponents". and the following day he was given a three-match suspension. Gabriel's red card was also rescinded, although he was given a one-match ban and £10,000 fine for improper conduct after failing to leave the pitch immediately. After this incident, the
Daily Express wrote that Costa was "named as [the] Premier League's dirtiest player". group stage match against
Dynamo Kyiv in October 2015 After a 1–0 defeat at
Stoke City on 7 November, a
Britannia Stadium steward made an allegation of assault against Costa, which was resolved without further action. Also that month, Costa was again involved in a skirmish with Liverpool's
Martin Škrtel, where he appeared to dig his boot into the Slovak defender's chest, but escaped punishment by the FA. On 29 November, Costa was an unused substitute in a match against Tottenham and threw his bib on the floor when
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was sent on at his expense. Mourinho told the media that, "For me his behaviour is normal. A top player on the bench will not be happy." Costa,
Oscar and Fàbregas were targeted by Chelsea supporters as the players whose poor form led to the dismissal of popular manager José Mourinho in December 2015. Costa scored twice in the first game under interim replacement
Guus Hiddink, a 2–2 home draw against
Watford. On 12 March 2016, Costa received his first red card in a Chelsea shirt near the end of their 2–0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Everton for confronting opponent
Gareth Barry. Footage appeared to show Costa biting Barry during that confrontation after clashing heads. Earlier in the match, Costa appeared to spit in the direction of the referee after he was yellow-carded for a clash with Barry. Later, both Costa and Barry denied that the bite occurred. Costa's two-match ban was extended to three, and he was fined £20,000. On 2 May, as Chelsea drew 2–2 against Tottenham to deny them the title, Costa was gouged in the eyes by
Mousa Dembélé during a mass brawl; the Belgian received a retrospective six-match ban.
2016–17 season during the 2017
FA Cup semi-final against
Tottenham Hotspur On 15 August 2016, Costa scored a late winner against
West Ham United to give Chelsea a 2–1 win in their
season opener. During the match, he caught opposing goalkeeper
Adrián with a late challenge when already on a yellow card, but did not receive a second yellow and went on to score the winner; Adrián stated after the match that he was fortunate not to be seriously injured. On 15 October, he scored in a 3–0 over reigning Premier League champions
Leicester City, and on 20 November Costa became the first player to reach ten league goals for the season, with the only one of the game at
Middlesbrough. With two goals and two assists for league leaders Chelsea, he was voted Premier League Player of the Month for the second time in November 2016, with his manager
Antonio Conte picking up the equivalent. In January 2017, Costa fell out with Conte and was dropped from the team, amidst interest from the
Chinese Super League. A potential move to
Tianjin Quanjian F.C. was curtailed by the league limiting the number of foreign players in each team. He returned to Chelsea's starting line-up on 22 January, opening a 2–0 win over
Hull City, his 52nd goal on his 100th appearance. Costa was Chelsea's top scorer with 20 goals as they regained the Premier League title. On 27 May, he scored an equaliser in the
2017 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, a 2–1 loss.
2017–18 season In June 2017, Costa was told by Conte that he was not part of his plans for the coming season and that he was free to move to another team via text message. Although Costa was linked to potential moves to the likes of
Milan,
Monaco, and
Everton, he stated that he would only be open to moving back to his former team Atlético Madrid. Costa attempted to find a legal solution through his lawyer in pushing for a move back to Madrid, and said that Chelsea were treating him like a "criminal" by demanding a high transfer fee for his exit.
Return to Atlético Madrid On 21 September 2017, Chelsea announced that Costa would return to Atlético at the start of the next transfer window in January 2018. On 26 September 2017, it was announced that after passing medical tests Costa signed a contract with Atlético. He was registered and became eligible to play after 1 January 2018, due to a transfer ban imposed on Atlético. On 3 January 2018, he scored on his return game against
Lleida Esportiu in the
Copa del Rey round of 16, just five minutes after being substituted on for
Ángel Correa in the 64th minute. Three days later in his first league game back, he started in a 2–0 win over
Getafe at the
Wanda Metropolitano and scored the second goal. However, having already been cautioned for a stray elbow on
Djene Dakonam, he was cautioned for a second time for charging into the stands to celebrate his goal, thus being sent off.
ESPN FC credited Costa as being a key element in
Antoine Griezmann's return to form, opining that Costa's "physical presence at centre-forward has understandably distracted opposition defenders quite a lot. Griezmann has now taken up a roaming No. 10 role, with freedom to go where he feels best"; Atlético manager Diego Simeone namechecked three of Atlético's players in particular–Costa,
Koke, and
Filipe Luís–who had helped Griezmann perform. Costa scored the only goal of Atlético's 1–0 home win over Arsenal in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals, sending them into the
2018 UEFA Europa League Final 2–1 on aggregate. He played in the
final in
Lyon, a 3–0 win over
Olympique de Marseille. In Atlético's first match of 2018–19, the
UEFA Super Cup at the
Lilleküla Stadium in Estonia, Costa scored twice – including in the first 50 seconds – in a 4–2 win after extra time against Real Madrid. On 6 April 2019, he was sent off in the 28th minute against
FC Barcelona, and was handed an 8-match ban for abusing a referee. On 18 June 2020, Costa marked his 200th club appearance for
Los Colchoneros when he started in a huge 5–0 away win against
Osasuna. Costa scored his fifth goal of the season in a 1–0 home victory against
Real Betis to ensure his team a top four finish and qualification for
the next season's Champions League. On 29 December 2020, Costa and Atlético agreed to terminate their contract, making Costa a free-agent.
Atlético Mineiro On 14 August 2021, Costa joined Brazilian club
Atlético Mineiro, signing a deal until December 2022. He scored on his debut on 29 August, coming off the bench in the second half and equalising in a 1–1
league draw with
Red Bull Bragantino. With fellow veteran
Hulk partnering him, his club won the
double of
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and
Copa do Brasil; they won the league by a 13-point advantage, and defeated
Athletico Paranaense 6–1 on aggregate in the
cup final, though Costa was substituted through injury early in the second leg. On 16 January 2022, after playing 19 times and scoring 5 goals, Costa terminated his contract.
Wolverhampton Wanderers On 12 September 2022, Costa joined Premier League club
Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the
2022–23 season. As part of a video filming aimed for social media for his public unveil, he was seen holding a chained pack of wolves. On 1 October, he made his debut for the club, coming on in the 58th minute in a 2–0 defeat to
West Ham United at the
London Stadium. Four weeks later, he was given his first Premier League red card of his career for headbutting
Ben Mee in a 1–1 draw away to
Brentford. He was suspended for three games, and due to the break for the
2022 FIFA World Cup did not return until late December; new manager
Julen Lopetegui said "I want to see his character, playing football, not making silly things". Costa made his 100th appearance in the Premier League, his 11th for Wolves, as a second-half substitute against
Bournemouth at
Molineux on 18 February 2023. He suffered a knee injury in the first-half of Wolves' 1–0 home win against
Tottenham Hotspur on 4 March and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher. On 15 April, he scored his first goal for Wolves in a 2–0 home win against
Brentford, his first goal in English football in nearly six years. It was his only goal in 25 total appearances for the club from the
West Midlands. On 3 June, Wolves announced that Costa would leave at the end of his contract, alongside
João Moutinho and
Adama Traoré.
Botafogo On 12 August 2023, Costa signed for Brazilian club
Botafogo on a six-month contract. He chose the club over
Rio de Janeiro rivals
Vasco da Gama, and was signed as a replacement for the injured
Tiquinho Soares. Under former Wolves manager
Bruno Lage, he made his debut a week later, playing the last 22 minutes of a goalless draw away to
São Paulo; he completed half of his eight passes and lost possession six times. In his next league game on 27 August, he scored twice in a 3–0 home win over
Bahia, keeping his team in first place and preserving an unbroken run of wins at the
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos. Costa scored three goals in 15 total appearances for Botafogo, including two games in the
Copa Sudamericana. After negotiations for a new contract collapsed, he was released on 10 January 2024.
Grêmio On 8 February 2024, Costa signed for
Grêmio on a free transfer. He was signed to replace
Luis Suárez, and joined on a deal until the end of the year. He made his debut on 2 March, scoring to conclude a 4–1 home win over
Guarany in the last group game of the
Campeonato Gaúcho. Despite playing only six games, he was top scorer for the
season with six goals at age 35, including one on 6 April in the second leg of the final, a 3–1 home win over
Juventude in which he was man of the match. Grêmio lost 1–0 away to Bahia on 27 April. Costa, who had already been substituted, was sent off for dissent while on the bench, leading manager
Renato Gaúcho to send all the other substitutes to the changing room to avoid a similar event. On 8 June, he suffered a left thigh tear in a 1–1 draw at home to
Estudiantes de La Plata in the group stage of the
Copa Libertadores, ruling him out for an estimated six-to-eight weeks. Costa played 26 games for Grêmio, scoring eight goals and assisting five, while losing prominence in the team after the signing of
Martin Braithwaite. At the end of his deal, he was linked with
Nacional, across the border in Uruguay. In October 2025, Spanish sports newspaper
Diario AS reported that 37-year-old Costa had not played for ten months but had not announced his retirement; he was living in
Madrid and was an ambassador for Atlético Madrid at the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. He announced his retirement from professional football in February 2026 on a podcast with former Atlético Madrid teammate
Mario Suárez, saying "I retired a little while ago. My agent was looking for something, but the passion I once had was already gone". ==International career==