5 players who are loved by their own fans but hated by rivals

#4 Diego Costa

Diego Costa earned the dislike of plenty of fans during his time at Chelsea

One of the most successful strikers of the last decade, Diego Costa has won league titles with both Atletico Madrid and Chelsea, and at his peak, was easily one of the most reliable goalscorers in Europe. An old-school target man, Costa’s physical style makes him a handful for any defence, and he’s also a tremendous finisher from any range with both feet and his head.

However, the Spain international is arguably more renowned for his dark side; Costa brings together the histrionics of Neymar, the taunting and goading of Scott Brown and the foul temper of older legends like Roy Keane to make one extreme package – a package beloved by fans of the sides he’s representing, and hated by rivals like few others.

Costa’s run in the Premier League with Chelsea brought a new spotlight on this dark side; within a handful of games he’d earned the ire of Everton fans for taunting Seamus Coleman after the Irish defender scored an own goal, while January 2015 saw him stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can.

Things didn’t change in his second season at Stamford Bridge; a 2-0 win over London rivals Arsenal saw him goad Gabriel Paulista into a reaction that earned the Brazilian a red card that was eventually rescinded, while Costa’s own actions in the game – including a slap to Laurent Koscielny – meant the FA banned him for 3 games.

For his part, the Spanish striker claimed that his style was “strong but noble” – but also admitted that “the bottom line is that sometimes the little things I do on the pitch provoke exaggerated reactions”. With that attitude, it’s hardly a surprise that he’s so beloved by his own fans – but disliked by all others.