Douglas Costa out of Rio Olympics due to injury
Douglas Costa has had to withdraw from the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in August because an injury to the Brazilian international’s left thigh hasn’t yet healed. Costa will miss the football tournament scheduled between the 5th-21st of August and miss the chance to win his country a medal.
Bayern Munich have officially informed the Brazilian association that Costa cannot be released for a tournament that the Brazilian would have been immensely keen to play in after having to miss the Copa America 2016 because of injury too.
The 25-year-old joined Bayern from Shakhtar Donetsk in July 2015 and enjoyed a great debut campaign with the German giants, winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal in Pep Guardiola's final season at the club. He was a critical part of the Bayern team, and made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring 7 goals and contributing numerous assists and key passes throughout the course of the season.
He was one of the three over-aged players named in the Brazil squad, as allowed in the Olympic guidelines, which also includes Barcelona star Neymar.
“I greatly regret this,” commented FC Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “We all wanted Douglas to contest the Olympic Games in his home country, but the player’s health and fitness takes priority.”
Costa, who was examined by the Bayern medical unit on Monday, will continue his sports rehabilitation programme in Munich over the coming weeks and look to be fit for the start of the season and impress new manager Carlo Ancelotti. Brazil meanwhile, will be disappointed by the absence of one of their key players, in a competition in which they’ll be desperately seeking to salvage some pride after the debacle of their Copa America ouster.
Costa’s absence might mean more game time for a pair of 19-year-olds, Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus, both of whom are being widely courted by a host of European Clubs including Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus, and thus would be keen to impress.