Former Chelsea Star Opens Up on Old Boss in Explosive Podcast Rant
Former Chelsea Star Opens Up on Old Boss in Explosive Podcast Rant
Earlier this week, ex-Chelsea striker Diego Costa appeared on the ObiOne Podcast alongside Blues legend John Obi Mikel and co-host Chris McHardy, where he opened up on life at Stamford Bridge, and went in depth on former managers.
Midway through the podcast, McHardy asked Costa about his relationship with Antonio Conte, with the pair associated with the club in south-west London during the 2016/17 season. As many of you may know, this relationship was very bitter, especially towards the end of that season.
It is safe to say that Costa went in hard on his ex-coach, claiming the Italian “probably doesn’t have s*x at home, he’s a very bitter guy.” Here, we’ll discuss the merciless interview with Costa and his comparisons between his past leaders.
😂 NEVER CHANGE, DIEGO! 🙏🏿
— The Obi One Podcast (@obionepodcast) January 23, 2026
We set Diego Costa a task: stay quiet until he hears the name of a striker better than him…
The results? 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WmkjOjkvU4
Good Times With the Special One, Hell With Conte
When Costa joined the club at the start of the 2014/15 season, he believed that he would be Chelsea’s main man – this was until club legend Didier Drogba was announced to be signing for the Blues for one last hurrah.
At this point, Costa was worried that he’d play second fiddle to the Ivorian, although he was also a man Costa looked up to. Mourinho later assured the Spaniard that he would be the striker he would count on, but made it clear that Drogba would step in if he didn’t score enough goals.
The then 27-year-old went on to score 20 Premier League goals in his debut season as the Blues romped to their fourth PL title, and Mourinho’s third. Costa had a lot of good things to say about the “Special One” too, saying “he was the coach I enjoyed playing under the most.
“He gives you life and you always go to training happy, especially when you’re winning,” before he also went into Jose’s softer side, saying “he is always by our side in the losses. He has a strong character, but also a very soft heart.” Someone like Diego Costa saying these words about Mourinho, especially considering how THAT 2015/16 season went for the Blues shows that their downfall certainly wasn’t down to the relationship between the two.
McHardy then put the question across to Costa, asking for his thoughts on his time at Chelsea after Conte joined the club and his relationship with the Italian. He initially spoke about his intentions to return to Spain after a poor previous campaign and offers from his former club in Atletico but after things failed to materialise, he reached out to Conte to ask about his plans for the season.
He said: >“We spoke again before the season started – I asked him if he wanted me to stay as I had other offers in the Premier League. Conte replied ‘Don’t worry, we are fine, lets play together.’”
Costa then briefly spoke about his strong season individually, describing the success they had in that term before going on an explosive rant about his former colleague. He said: “Then I played, scored goals winning top scorer – we won the league that year, but something inside of me was telling me there was something wrong, he was angry.
“So I went on holiday, had a chance to renew my contract, but then I sent a text message to him saying if he could count on me next season,” in which Conte replied, “Diego thank you for everything you have done, but I’m not counting on you.
“And I knew it, that even though I won top scorer, he didn’t want me there. I then told Marina [Granovskaia], she said he can’t do that he’s not the owner. I had an opportunity at Atletico, so I said to Marina thank you for all you’ve done but I’m not going to return to Chelsea.
“The players were calling me asking for me to come back. But I said look, Conte is okay as a coach, but as a person he is the worst thing that you can have on a daily basis.”
“He’s a person who doesn’t trust others, he thinks he knows everything, you don’t enjoy training, he’s always angry, always with a long face. Nobody likes him, that’s why he didn’t last long. He probably doesn’t have sex at home, and he’s a very bitter guy.”
😡 ‘HE’S A VERY BITTER GUY’
— The Obi One Podcast (@obionepodcast) January 22, 2026
It’s fair to say Antonio Conte is NOT on Diego Costa’s Christmas card list. 👀
🧨💥 pic.twitter.com/L6evL19O8Z
Battle of the Bridge and Chelsea Thoughts
Following that very entertaining and explosive nugget of the pod, Costa was also asked to touch on his time at Stamford Bridge and other memorable moments.
After briefly going through his time at Chelsea, Costa described his three-year stint in the English capital as “The truth is I really enjoyed my three years here, we won two titles. Me and the fans always had a very special connection,” also believing his time at the Bridge was the best chapter of his career.
One particular moment which stood out to him specifically was the infamous ‘Battle of the Bridge’ which took place in May 2016, and was the game which confirmed the title would go to Leicester City for the very first time.
He said:
“The match started very intense, with their defenders kicking you a lot. I felt like there were a lot of players on our team who didn’t want to kick back, so I felt like I had to play very rough too.”
Costa then also went in for a slight dig on Tottenham Hotspur too, making them know who the bigger club is.
“With respect to Tottenham, we are the bigger club. In sports, they are a big team, but you cannot compare them with Chelsea’s history.”
So, although the Spaniard has seemingly retired from professional football, he has certainly not stopped stirring the pot, and is not afraid to air his opinions, no matter brutal they are.
Alec Hayward 
Oliver Seymour 
