Diego Costa admits he has waited “a long time” to become an Atletico Madrid player again after being officially unveiled on Sunday.
Costa will wear Atleti’s No 18 jersey after being paraded in front of 25,000 fans at Wanda Metropolitano, the striker having completed his return from Chelsea for a reported €60m.
“I thank the club for the effort they’ve made to bring me back. I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he began.
“My fitness? You can see I’m looking much better now. I’ve prepared well for this and I’m looking forward to playing and helping the team.
“I’ve waited a long time for this. Now I have my mind set on playing. As much as I’ve trained, it’s not like playing a match and I’m tired of training so much.
“Three months out? You suffer more when you’re not playing. I see the team in a good way.
“They’ve been eliminated from the Champions League, but we still have time to make it a beautiful season.
“Chelsea? I didn’t learn English… it’s a shame, but the truth is that I felt very good there.
“The people there helped me a lot and made my life easy. They’re a great club and I only have good memories of my time with them.
“The 2014 Champions League Final? t was a very tough day, but I’m not out for revenge. What I want is to be there again. It’s the most beautiful thing.
“World Cup? It’s a challenge of mine, but first of all I must do the right things here because if that happens, it’ll be easier to become one of Lopetegui’s options.
“Competition? I have a very good understanding with everyone here. A lack of goals come in the form of runs. It’s not that I’m going to be a god, [the others] have also been scoring.
“If the Coach decides to play me, I’ll give my best. My best moment with Atletico? I’ve had some very beautiful moments here, but I’d say it was the Copa [del Rey] Final that we won. It took away all the evils.”
| #BienvenidoDiegoCosta
¡Echábamos de menos esa sonrisa! ¡Bienvenido a casa, @diegocosta!
#AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/3P2JLGQAua— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) December 31, 2017
