International Football 2016/17: 5 players who impressed in the September international break

5) Diego Costa

Diego Costa has made a stunning return to the Spanish side

Alvaro Morata might be a bit unhappy with the how the season has begun – he’s back as the second choice striker for Real Madrid after starting for Juventus last year, and has now become second choice for Spain as well, after a Euro 2016 where he led the line.

Julen Lopetegui’s reign began with Morata, but a hamstring injury meant Diego Costa came on to reignite his Spanish career. The Chelsea striker changed the complexion of the game against Belgium, bullying the defenders and allowing David Silva to find more space and get on the scoresheet twice in a 2-0 win, with Costa putting in a Man-of-the-match performance.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign then got off to a stunning start, with Costa rampaging through the Leichtenstein defence to open the socring in the 10^th minute, before netting his second soon after. The Chelsea forward was critical of the Spanish press for a Barcelona-Madrid bias, and backed up his remarks with a typically hungry performance.

2 - Diego Costa is the 1st player to score two headers in a game for Spain since Fernando Llorente vs Lithuania in 2010. Lizard.

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 5, 2016