Douglas Costa spoke on Thursday night to DAZN Brazil: “Everybody asks me to come back to Gremio, but I am too expensive, they would not been able to match my current salary, I do not want to bankrupt them, I will return when it will be feasible. I am very fond of them and I would like to finish my career here, but I have a lot more to do in Europe.”
“In Turin, sometimes it is cold, sometimes it hot, it is dark outside early but it does not snow a lot. I am very comfortable in Italy, it is similar to Brazil, the food is good and the language is not that hard. It is a perfect situation, I can walk wherever I want, the training camp is nearby and the club treats me very well. The life was different in Germany, the fans were more serene there, while they are more passionate in Italy. There is a lot more pressure.”
On Juventus: “I would have troubles leaving it for another team, it is like a family, you feel welcomed and free. I settled in really nicely. It was tough at first because Italian football is very different and tactical. I am focusing on learning from Cristiano Ronaldo, we have one of the best players in the world. If Paulo Dybala and I are in peak conditions, we can reach a very high level. Our ambition is to win Champions League, that is why I came here. We are trying, winning it would make me feel accomplished.”
On his time at Bayern Munich: “Pep Guardiola made a big difference in my development, he allowed me to play in my real role and told me he had a plan for my career, which was to learn real football. I was very sad there because I thought we would pull it off that year, everybody was playing well. It was one of the best and most technical teams I played in. Juventus have an extraordinary group but we were all in top form in Munich.”
On his career: “I left home when I was 12 to move to Gremio, at 19 I transferred to Shakhtar, it was a blur. The 2014 war that pushed us to Kiev was a difficult moment, I just had found a house I liked. The guy that had sold it to me disappeared and I lost my money. Those times are hard, everybody wants to flee. I learned a lot in Ukraine.”
On the infamous spit to Federico Di Francesco: “It makes me sick because I am not that person. I had a small black-out and I lost it. I worked on my reactions after that. I know I have to be a model for the kids. It made me reflect on who I am and what I represent. I would not do it again.”
On saudade: “I miss my kids and my parents the most. My dad was my first coach, he told me to stay away from drinking and spoking and I listened to him. I often talk to my mom, we are very close, while I speak with my father before important games. He is more serene, mom is more anxious. I get along nicely with my sister. I did everything to give my kids the life I could not have, I hope they are proud of my journey. I will give them some advice when they will have to start theirs.”
“I am living my dream, this is what I wanted when I was six or seven. It was pure imagination for a kid from the small town Sapucaia, simply transferring to Gremio was a great result. I have gone a long way looking back at Shakthar and Juventus, but I can go even further.”
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