Striker Diego Costa ends second spell at Atletico

SHOWS: MAJADAHONDA, SPAIN (DECEMBER 29, 2020) (ATLETICO MADRID HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)

1. BALL BEING CROSSED AND FORWARD ANGEL CORREA VOLLEYING AND SCORING

2. COACH DIEGO SIMEONE ATTENDING SESSION

3. SIMEONE CROSSING BALL / GOALKEEPER JAN OBLAK BLOCKING BALL WITH ONE HAND

4. VARIOUS OF TRAINING SESSION IN PROGRESS

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING:

"What we spoke about with him and keeping in mind his personal situation, the club is trying to help him with out harming the club itself and this keeps us calm. You all know how much we love Diego. We have been a long time together and we have given him a lot and he has given us a lot."

6. PLAYERS PASSING BALL

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING:

"We have spoken with him and he has the need of finding new challenges because he is well, he is strong and in a good moment. I can't imagine another situation than seeing him doing things well wherever he goes because he is a fighter, a gladiator. And to thank him as we have always done with people that have give us their heart and Diego is one of them. Diego has always given us everything in sport and at a personal level. Let's hope he finds the best for himself and hope we can hug him when we see him again, as he has not been with us the last two or three days as he was negotiating with the club."

8. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS RUNNING AND PASSING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING:

"We came across the problem of Trippier which I think it's unfair, in my point of view. I hope it can be checked it and to see why it will damage Atletico de Madrid when obviously Atletico de Madrid has absolutely nothing to do in this situation. I hope they can check it and value that obviously Atletico de Madrid doesn't benefit from this in anything and it does benefit the English Federation."

10. PLAYER PASSING BALL WITH HEAD

11. PLAYER HEADING BALL AND SCORING

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE SAYING:

"I think on tomorrow's match, we will have a rival that is always very competitive. Possibly they have not had great results lately but they have improved in the last two games getting better results, but they are always very competitive in every game it plays. And tomorrow even though they have many players missing I can't imagine a Getafe that is not competitive whoever plays because that is the essence of their coach."

13. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS HEADING CROSSES

STORY: Atletico Madrid and their enigmatic striker Diego Costa have parted ways for the second time after the La Liga leaders agreed to the player's request to rescind his contract on Tuesday (December 29).

An Atletico statement said the 32-year-old, whose contract ran out in June 2021, had asked several days ago to leave the club immediately for personal reasons and on Tuesday he signed his release from the deal.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone paid tribute to the striker who was so influential in the team's 2013-14 La Liga title.

"We have spent a lot of time together over the years, he has given us a lot and we have given him a lot too," Simeone told a news conference.

"We spoke about his personal issues and the club wanted to help him without harming its own interests and we feel better now we have resolved the issue."

Costa helped Atletico to the Spanish title with 27 goals and they also reached the 2014 Champions League final but lost 4-1 to rivals Real Madrid in extra-time after Costa was forced off early with a hamstring injury.

He joined Chelsea in 2014 for 35 million euros and was an instant hit, firing Chelsea to the 2014-15 and 2016-17 Premier League titles with 20 goals in each campaign.

He could hardly have had a more fitting second debut after returning to Atletico for a reported 57 million euros, scoring and getting sent off in a 2-0 win over Getafe.

The Brazilian-born Spain striker scored the winner in a Europa League semi-final against Arsenal on their way to winning the competition in 2018 and in the UEFA Super Cup victory over Real, although his second spell was mostly disappointing.

Injuries limited him to 43 La Liga starts in three years, scoring 12 goals, and opportunities were further limited by the signings of Joao Felix and Luis Suarez.

Costa scored in Atletico's 3-1 win over Elche on Dec. 19 and said he was looking forward to healthy competition with Suarez, only to ask to leave days later.

"He felt the need to find a new challenge, and I'm sure wherever he goes he will do well, because he's a fighter," added Simeone.

"We want to thank him, Diego has given us everything as a player and as a human."

Simeone also said he believes the 10-week ban imposed on defender Kieran Trippier for breaching betting rules unfairly harms his side and has asked for the punishment to be re-assessed.

Tripper, who joined Atletico from Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, was fined 70,000 pounds ($94,444) by England's Football Association (FA) and suspended for 10 weeks for four breaches of a rule which prevents players from providing information to others on their position which is not available in public at the time.

The England right back, 30, will miss at least 13 matches for Atletico, who are top of La Liga and challenging for their first Spanish title since 2014 and have reached the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Chelsea.

(Production: Michael Gore, Miguel Gutierrez)