Diego Costa was booed mercilessly by Brazilian fans every time he touched the ball during Spain’s World Cup match against The Netherlands on Friday. The reason for that is he was born in Brazil.
Costa was born and raised in Lagarto, Brazil. Despite that, he chose to play for defending World Cup champions Spain. The 25-year-old is one of the top strikers in the world and currently plays for Atletico Madrid. He was granted Spanish citizenship when he was a teenager and has been living in Europe for a number of years.
Costa actually played in two matches with Brazil last year before deciding he wanted to play for Spain. Since he was only used for short periods in friendly matches, the move was allowed. FIFA rules make it so a player is ineligible to switch national teams after they have played in a competitive match for one nation.
“I am Brazilian and that is not going to change but I want to win the World Cup with Spain,” Costa said in a recent press conference, according to Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post.
Brazil could use another forward in this year’s tournament, and Costa would have easily made them even more dangerous. Brazil manager Luis Felipe Scolari criticized Costa’s decision last year.
“He is giving his back to what is the dream of millions, to represent the five-time world champions in a World Cup in Brazil,” Scolari said.
Costa has been labeled a “traitor” by most Brazilians. That is why they will be raining boos on him throughout the entire World Cup.
