It was in 2019 that Jose Mourinho was asked to describe several of his former Chelsea players in just a single word. For Didier Drogba, it was "legend". John Terry was hailed as a "leader" by the Portuguese. Michael Essien, meanwhile, was called a "son" by Mourinho, who coached the midfielder both at Stamford Bridge and Real Madrid.
Then there was Diego Costa. The Brazilian-born striker spearheaded the attack during Mourinho's third Premier League title win as Chelsea head coach. He snarled. He scuffled. He scored. And that is why when tasked with choosing one word to describe Costa, who spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho simply replied: "Animal." It remains an apt description.
Chelsea had never owned a striker quite like Costa. They're unlikely to in the future either. The Spain international was unpredictable and combative; a player equally capable of scoring a hat-trick or connecting with a headbutt. Perhaps even in the same game. It's why he was so adored by Blues supporters. He may have been a pantomime villain, but he was their pantomime villain.
