Diego Costa joins Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro

After eight months without a club, striker Diego Costa has finally returned to football after penning a deal with Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.

Costa made just seven appearances for eventual La Liga champions Atletico Madrid in the first half of last season, and having fallen down the pecking order, agreed to end his three-year stint with the club and terminate his contract in January.

The 32-year-old had been without a club ever since, but finally brought his exile to an end on Sunday by penning an 18-month contract with Atletico Mineiro.

For Costa, the move will be a chance to reignite a career which has been stalling for a few years now.

After firing home 20 goals to lead Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title, Costa was unceremoniously dumped by Antonio Conte, and after six months out of the game, he returned to Atletico for a whopping £57m.

After returning to the Spanish capital, however, Costa never managed to rediscover his goalscoring form. He bagged three in his first six months, before adding just two across the 2018/19 season.

Costa flirted with a resurgence the following year, bagging five goals and four assists in 23 appearances, only to see his form take a nosedive in 2020/21 and lead to his eventual departure from the club.

A return to his native Brazil, where he will form a terrifying strike partnership with the iconic Hulk, could be just what Costa needs to get his career back on track.

He joins an Atletico Mineiro side who already sit at the top of the Brazilian league, five points clear of 2020 Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras after 16 games played.