“He is looking at everyone walking around naked” - Mikel jokes about why Chelsea players stayed away from Diego Costa in dressing room
Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has opened up on why he stayed away from ex-teammate Diego Costa's crazy jokes in the dressing room.
The Spanish striker was known for his ability to give defenders a hard time and wasn't the most liked player in the opposition camp. Between his time at Stamford Bridge from 2014 to 2017, Costa scored 59 goals and bagged 21 assists in 120 matches across competitions.
Despite his antics on the field, the former Atletico Madrid attacker was loved by his Blues teammates. However, Mikel revealed that he kept his distance from Costa in the dressing room and jokingly explained the reason why (via talkSPORT):
"How long have we got? Crazy, crazy guy. He is a guy in the dressing room after training, you are sitting in the dressing room and Diego Costa is sitting there.
"He is looking at everyone walking around naked, trying to flick you with a towel, grab whatever he can grab. Yeah, he just goes crazy. That is what he does. Sometimes, when you see him in the dressing room, you just run out."
He added:
"Because if you stay there, you know he is definitely going to grab something or flick you with a towel.
"He is an amazing human being and what a player. Fantastic player. He had a bit of everything, probably the closest thing to Drogba after he left."
Mikel and Costa shared the pitch on 38 occasions for the Blues across competitions, bagging two joint goal contributions in the process. During his spell with Chelsea, he won the Premier League title on two occasions while winning the Carabao Cup once. Currently, Costa represents Brazilian outfit Gremio.
When former Arsenal player named ex-Chelsea man Diego Costa as the best striker in the Premier League
Former Arsenal star Charlie Nicholas called Diego Costa the best striker in the Premier League midway through the 2016/17 season. He placed the ex-Chelsea man ahead of Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero at the time.
That season, Costa bagged 20 goals and seven assists in 35 Premier League matches. Speaking to Sky Sports about the best number nines in the league, Nicholas said:
"In general, I think Sergio Aguero's a better player but if you're asking me who's the best Premier League striker right now, I'd have to go with Diego Costa."
Aguero also finished that campaign with 20 league goals, while Sanchez notched up 24 strikes. However, it was Costa's goal that proved to be the most vital, with Chelsea going on to win the Premier League that season.