Botafogo let a historic opportunity slip through their fingers this season. The Lone Star blew a 16-point lead they had at some point in the 2023 Brasileirao, reaching the final matchday with no chances of lifting the trophy. Following their draw against Cruzeiro on Sunday, Tiago Nunes’ men dropped to fifth place with 64 points, five points behind Palmeiras, who are on the verge of securing the title.
Diego Costa, who joined the Rio de Janeiro club midway through the year with the goal of helping in its championship quest, did not mince his words and was self-critical about the missed opportunity. “On our part, we lacked a bit of humility, understanding the moment of each game, understanding the moment the club was going through. We had to set aside our ego to achieve better results. Let this serve as a lesson to all of us here because football demands it,” he said.
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Diego Costa: “It’s a moment that has no justification”
Despite arriving from Europe with a great reputation, the 35-year-old striker played only 13 games in this Brasileirao, with three starts and as many goals in that period.
“I have nothing to think about at this moment. I came with the intention of helping in the best possible way, with the clear conscience that I could be here and help the team. It hasn’t gone as I expected in terms of opportunities and minutes. I will always have that ambition; I will never stop being happy to play few minutes. But these are decisions, the team was always winning, and that is normal,” said Costa, who had Tiquinho Soares, the team’s top scorer, ahead of him.
Botafogo’s form in the final stretch of the season was very poor, going 10 games without a victory. Their last triumph was in October against bottom-placed Atlético Mineiro. In that regard, Costa believes that the players are fully responsible for this situation.
“If there is a responsible here, it’s not the management, not the coaches, it’s us, the players. We have to take responsibility, be men when things go wrong, but we also have to congratulate ourselves for everything we’ve achieved throughout the season. We had a brilliant first half of the season,” he added.
The former Atlético Madrid and Chelsea forward highlighted the good results in the initial phase of the league but understands how the supporters feel: “It’s a moment that has no justification. I think the fans have reasons to be upset with the performance we’ve offered in recent months, but we can’t erase everything this group has achieved throughout the season. It had an extraordinary first semester.”
Due to his lack of minutes this year, Costa’s future in Rio de Janeiro is uncertain. For now, he chooses not to speak beyond what he will do this year: “I’m thinking about the present; there’s one more game to define everything and overcome this frustration, which is not only for the fans but for me personally. I’ve never experienced something like this in my entire career, the way it happened, but I have no doubt that the group tried to give it their all. This group is wonderful and has everything it needs to keep growing.”
Botafogo will conclude its campaign on Wednesday when they visit Internacional in Porto Alegre on matchday 38 of the Brazilian Serie A.
