Beating Casatese Merate in their Serie D play-offs final on Sunday won’t guarantee Chievo a Serie C place for next season – in a complicated system, the league decides which of the play-off winners will fill any Serie C vacancies.
But given the economic situation of several third-tier clubs, often on the verge of declaring bankruptcy or simply without the necessary means to afford the category, their target is still very much within reach.
Costa has not hit the heights of earlier in his career so far in Verona, but a decisive goal in their play-offs semi-finals against Milan Futuro – AC Milan’s Under-23 club – could prove vital.
“I’m here to help the team, both on and off the pitch,” says the Brazilian winger. “My role is also to help change our mentality and approach things like professionals – before, during and after matches.
“If I played here for a whole year, things might have gone even better. Being here for three months is not easy, even if you are a high-level player.
“But more than anything else, football is joy for me: when the ball is at my feet, I’m happy. I still have a young mentality and I don’t want to grow old. We’re here together to learn and laugh, and that motivates me every day.”
Despite a scintillating career, the former Gremio and Shakhtar Donetsk winger has adapted well to his new reality.
“In 20 years of professionalism I’ve played for major clubs in Brazil, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, the United States and Australia,” he says.
“I’ve won a lot and worked with great coaches like Mircea Lucescu, Pep Guardiola, Massimiliano Allegri and Carlos Dunga.
“My challenge has been adapting to amateur football and trying to raise the level of the league, even though the environment is completely different from anything I’ve known before.
“The beautiful thing is that sometimes, when I get the ball in away games, even the opposition fans cheer for us because they expect something special from me! I’m extremely happy to be here. Italy is a country that changed my life.”
Costa adds: “The club does everything to put us in the best conditions to succeed, but once we step on to the pitch, it’s up to us players. And that’s where I leave space for the talent God gave me.
“It was the same at Bayern: they told me to track back and defend, and I did – but when I had the ball, I did whatever I wanted.”
Balotelli and Dubai can wait – at least for now. Much to the delight of Chievo’s fans, who dream of seeing their club return to the professional game and Costa pushing for more in their yellow and blue shirt.
