12 best excerpts from Diego Costa's biography 'The Art of War'

#6 Learning to play on the streets

Costa has made no secrets of his learning from football on the streets

Costa has often said, “the street is my school.” Born in Lagarto, a remote location in Brazil, Costa didn’t have any formal football training and played on the streets till the age of 16.

His uncle took him to Sao Paulo where he managed to get into a local club called Barcelona Esportiva Capela, where he turned professional. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Looking back at those early days, Costa said: “I grew up thinking a bit of pushing and shoving was completely normal. Then I suddenly learned that if you kick another player, you get in trouble. Nobody had ever reprimanded me for that before.”

The rival fans will be saying that he still does the same.