Iran v Spain: Group B - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Source: Getty
Iran v Spain: Group B - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Source: Getty
Former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has singled out Real Madrid great Pepe as the toughest opponent he faced in his career. The Spanish striker enjoyed more than a few duels with defenders all over Europe and South America during his career, having played for multiple sides. .
Costa was a guest on the ObiOne podcast of former Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel, where the pair spoke about a number of topics. He answered a question on his toughest opponent, singling out retired Real Madrid hardman Pepe as his unquestionable choice.
"Defender that gave me the toughest time? Pepe", he said (via @MadridXtra on X).
Diego Costa had a long history with Pepe in his playing days, with the pair meeting while they played for three different teams. Their first meeting was in the 2006-07 season when Costa represented Braga and Pepe played for Porto. In total, they faced off ten times at club level and once for their national teams, with Costa scoring just three goals.
Costa was a menace in his time as a player, but he found in Pepe an equal in terms of his style of play. The 37-year-old bullied defenders on his way to leading Atletico Madrid to the Spanish top-flight title in the 2013-14 season. He got his only goal and his only win against Pepe's Real Madrid in that season. The Portuguese defender was left on the bench for the UEFA Champion's League final later in the season as Los Blancos won La Decima.
At Chelsea, Costa never faced Pepe in a competitive fixture as the Blues were never drawn against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. The former Wolves striker managed to terrorise defences in England, as well, winning two league titles with the Blues.
When then-Chelsea striker Costa spoke about relishing Real Madrid battles
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa enjoyed physical battles on the pitch, and he got them in abundance when he played against Real Madrid. The striker played several times against Los Blancos during his time as an Atletico Madrid player between 2007 and 2014.
Costa told Sport TV back in 2016 about how he used to relish facing Los Blancos pair of Sergio Ramos and Pepe in games. The ex-Chelsea man revealed that their encounters, no matter how rough, always ended with both sides respecting each other and not bearing any ill-feeling or animosity towards each other.
"I used to love the games against Real Madrid and the chance to face Pepe and Ramos. It was a good battle, where we always had trouble and sparks were flying. I can guarantee that they used to love them for the same reasons! We went out on the pitch knowing that they would be intense games but the important thing was that there was loyalty. They went out hard, I did too, but without being disloyal. And the games against them always had friction: some sort of insult, some kicking. But after the end of the game, we would always greet each other without any problems. Now, with Ramos, we're team-mates with the national team and we're always joking that I can't do it anymore", he said (via beIN Sports).
Diego Costa played 17 times against Real Madrid in games where either Ramos or Pepe played, and emerged on the winning side just three times. He scored four goals, including goals in the UEFA Super Cup win in 2018 and Copa del Rey final win five years prior.