'If I didn't know Costa, I would say that he's crazy, but he has a great heart'

BeSoccer 6 years ago 3k
Paulista is Diego Costa's friend despite this incident at Stamford Bridge. EFE

The Valencia player, Gabriel Paulista, wanted to talk about his friendship with Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa, despite the fact the pair had a run in in the Premier League when they played for Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.

This Thursday, Valencia meet Arsenal in the Europa League, a team which the Valencia player, Gabriel Paulista, knows perfectly, because he played for them in the Premier League. 

Therefore, in comments made to the 'Daily Mail', he wanted to recall his time at Arsenal and the moment in which he had a spat with the Spaniard Diego Costa, who was playing for Chelsea at the time. 

Gabriel hardly spoke English at the time and could just about manage the word 'sorry'. "The referee spoke to me and Costa, but I didn't understand anything," recalled the Brazilian in an incident in which he was sent off. 

"There was a game later on at the Emirates and while I was speaking to David Luiz, Diego came over. He started to play with my son and chat nicely to my wife," said Paulista. 

"I am like him. Once I step on the pitch, I am a different person. Many players change when they cross the white line. Diego off the pitch has a great heart, but if I didn't know him, I would also say he is crazy, he has a bad temper." In reality, he is an amazing guy," he added.  

"Going back to the Emirates will be special. It is a dream for a player when such a big club comes calling. My agent asked me if I wanted to play for Arsenal. How could I say no?" concluded the Brazilian. 

Mentioned in the news story

Europa League
Atlético
Valencia
Diego Costa
Gabriel Paulista