It is still amazing to think that Diego Costa actually played for Wolves.
The striker pitched up at Molineux in September 2022, answering an SOS call from Bruno Lage amid a shortage of attacking options.
Sasa Kalajdzic had suffered an ACL injury on his debut.
Fabio Silva had already been loaned out to Belgian side Anderlecht.
And Raul Jimenez was available, but struggling with his fitness.
Wolves needed someone in and, since the transfer window had already close, the free agent market was the club’s only option.
So in came a 33-year-old Diego Costa to hopefully add a bit of bite to Wolves’ attack.
He was famous for being a player who struck fear into his opponents. But Costa admitted there was one thing that actually terrify him during his time at Wolves – and it came right at the very start of his spell.
Diego Costa was left terrified by his own transfer announcement video at Wolves
Although Costa was obviously long past his prime, there was still real excitement for Wolves fans when he signed.
He was still a big name, and his achievements at Chelsea previously had a lot of people optimistic that he could make an impact.
Wolves signing Costa was incredible in itself.
But the club’s media team then produced one of the most iconic transfer announcement videos in recent memory.
It featured Costa holding three actual wolves with chains.
The clip drew millions off impressions on X and painted Costa in a scary light – but it turns out the veteran was actually genuinely terrified when filming the video.
He said (via Wolves official): “I was scared to death. Holding that chain I kept thinking, ‘What if this wolf thinks about jumping on top of me?’, and then the three of them did.
“Because the lady training them kept calling them, asked them to move around a little and the dog, the wolves didn’t do a single thing.”
How Diego Costa fared for Wolves
It was a brilliant announcement video, and one that other clubs’ media teams have struggled to beat to this day.
Many Wolves fans look back on Costa’s short spell with fondness.
He actually only scored one goal in his 25 appearances, and it was very clear at the start that Costa was really lacking match fitness and sharpness.
He had not played for months after leaving Atletico Mineiro.
| Diego Costa for Wolves |
| Appearances – 25 |
| Goals – 1 |
| Assists – 0 |
But in the end, Costa did come good for Wolves and many fans credited him with helping the club to survive that season.
While he was not prolific whatsoever, Costa showcased the fighting spirit that made him so famous and feared, and led by example amid a relegation battle.
Julen Lopetegui even reportedly wanted to keep Costa for another season at Wolves, but an extension didn’t materialise in the end.
He left the club when his deal expired, and received some very warm messages from the likes of Matheus Cunha and Daniel Podence, which spoke volumes about just how loved he was in the dressing room.