When Diego Costa clattered into a post as he scored against Getafe last season there was a collective holding of breath among Atletico Madrid and Spain fans at the sight of him being taken off on a stretcher.

While they worried, he had his phone out in the dressing room filming medical staff filling the bone-deep wound in his right knee with antiseptic and stapling it back together again. He sent the video to friends to reassure them his season was far from over.

Jose Mourinho loves a soldier and those who know Costa best say his recruitment of the 25-year-old battering ram cannot fail.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch the best of striker Diego Costa so far at Chelsea

Putting his body on the line: Diego Costa clatters into a post while scoring for Atletico against Getafe

In the wars: The Spain international's combative style means he picks up his fair share of knocks in games

Down and out: Despite being on the wrong end of some hefty challenges, Costa rarely stays down for long

And that will come as welcome relief because, when it comes to Chelsea strikers, over the past 10 years only Didier Drogba has been a roaring success. Fernando Torres has failed to impress since joining in 2011, Samuel Eto’o struggled last season and only Nicolas Anelka and Eidur Gudjohnsen fared any better.

The resilience is not just physical. His former coach Diego Simeone tells a story that perfectly sums up his strength of character. In the 2011-12 season, Atletico Madrid had their quota of three foreign players and the coach told Costa that, much as it pained the club he had not been able to get his European passport, he would have to move on.

Clubs often make surplus players train alone but, out of respect, Simeone told Costa that they would incorporate him fully in pre-season and treat him as if he were staying.

‘He was absolutely flying,’ said Simeone. ‘There were goals, assists, attitude. We could’ve killed him for making our decision so difficult.’

Hotshot: The 25-year-old was phenomenal for Atletico last season, as he fired the club to the league title

His departure still looked irreversible but, on the verge of being sold to Turkey, he injured right knee ligaments, preventing the move. He stayed in Madrid to get fit and spent the second half of the season on loan at Rayo Vallecano where he scored 10 goals.

Atletico Madrid fitness coach Oscar Ortega marvelled at how, after such an important injury, he was able to come back and have such a good second half of the season. It was street toughness that defied modern sports medicine.

Costa grew up in Lagarto, a city of about 100,000 inhabitants in the smallest state in Brazil, Sergipe. His football-crazy father Jose de Jesus Costa named him after Diego Maradona, having named his older brother Jair after Jairzinho.

The two would play street games together and occasionally against each other, though such matches would invariably end in the pair scrapping. The very informal matches would attract players from all around the region and many were ‘alcohol fuelled’.

Flying: Atletico boss Diego Simeone did not want Costa to leave after making him the focal point of his attack

Acrobatic effort: Born in Brazil, Costa learnt how to play while kicking a football about with his brother Jair

It was there that Diego developed the ‘elbows permanently out’ style that would get him in so much trouble in Spain. ‘If anyone touched me I would react,’ he said. Having never attended one of Brazil’s many club-affiliated football schools as a youngster, the street fighter approach had never been tamed. At 15 he was turned down in a trial with local team Lagartense and left for Sao Paulo to work with his uncle in a shopping centre. ‘I was earning money, I didn’t want to play football any more,’ he has said.

But he was soon back playing again and, when Jorge Mendes spotted him, it led to an approach to his parents with a contract that saw him move to Sporting Braga.

Costa’s dad had heard horror stories of young Brazilians dumped by unscrupulous agents when they failed to make the grade in Europe but Costa persuaded him that his deal was to be trusted and the player moved before switching to Spain in 2007 to Atletico Madrid, who loaned him out to Celta Vigo and Albacete.

Several Premier League clubs were alerted by scouts working in Spain and former West Brom boss Pepe Mel tried to sign him as manager first of Rayo Vallecano and then Betis. Jose Luis Mendilibar did get to coach him at Valladolid.

Foes become friends: Costa eyeballs John Terry during Atletico's Champions League win before his move

Mel and Mendilibar are in no doubt that he will succeed in west London. ‘Chelsea fans shouldn’t worry too much about what they saw from him at the World Cup,’ said Mel. ‘Playing for Spain is very different to playing for Atletico Madrid where he was superb all season. And Atletico Madrid are lot closer to Chelsea in style of play.

‘Costa will suit Chelesa and he’ll suit the Premier League too. He’ll find space in behind teams and he’ll thrive on the service from Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard and Oscar. He has the temperament to handle the Premier League and he knows how to look after himself.’

That ability to run in behind people might even give him something even Drogba did not have. Mendilibar said: ‘He’s a different player to Drogba. He’s quicker and that means he is better at running in behind teams.’

He may lack Drogba’s strength in the air but Mel said: ‘Maybe he doesn’t get on the end of every cross the way that someone like Radamel Falcao does but he is very clever in the way he makes space for himself, uses his body,’ he said.

Blue is the colour: Costa celebrates scoring on his Chelsea debut against FC Olimpija on July 27

Both men agree the temperament will not be a problem. ‘Of course he has that little bit of nastiness that all strikers need and it is important that he doesn’t lose that because it is a big part of his game. But he’s clever with it,’ said Mendilibar.

Mel believes the spell in the Spanish second division where ‘there is a red card every other game’ helped him learn how to keep his head. But his run-ins with Sergio Ramos and Pepe made the Madrid derby a heated affair. And it is clear Costa has not totally given up on the dark arts.

‘There are some things you should not do in a game,’ he said. ‘But there are other things that are normal when you consider how much is at stake in a big match.’ His new boss would not want it any other way.



