Diego Costa still in the football wilderness as Atletico Madrid close in on La Liga title

The striker was key when Diego Simeone’s men last won the league in 2014 but is in self-imposed exile as they aim to capture this season’s title 

This weekend, Atletico Madrid could secure their first Liga title since 2013-14, when the side built by Diego Simeone to bruise and bloody the biggest teams in Europe first caught the global gaze. 

The team that clinched Atleti’s first championship in 18 years with a final-day draw at Barcelona – and came within seconds of lifting the Champions League trophy – boasted a rock-solid defence, a midfield which took no prisoners, and a forward known as much, if not more, for his fiery character than his prodigious goal-scoring ability. 

However, Diego Costa hit 36 goals in just 52 appearances in all competitions that season. Having never previously scored more than 10 Liga goals across a single campaign, during spells at the likes of Celta Vigo, Albacete, Valladolid and Real Vallecano, he had announced himself as a top-level talent. Read More