Douglas Costa gave an exclusive interview to Chiamarsi Bomber, discussing his career path from Shakhtar Donetsk to FC Bayern Munich and Juventus. He also spoke about his goals, raising his family, the outstanding teammates he's played with, and the new adventure awaiting him in the United Arab Emirates. This is the first part of the interview.

You're about to start a new chapter with a move to Dubai. How did you decide to play in the United Arab Emirates? What appeals to you most about Dubai, both professionally and personally?

First of all, I've played in so many places, and this is the only country I've never played in yet... (laughs) Beyond that, the project is excellent, and it's not just me. There's also Mario (Balotelli) and Danny (Baselli), who both played in Turin. I think we can do something special together, and I'm very happy with my decision.

Speaking of Mario Balotelli, how did your friendship begin? What is he like in his personal life, away from the spotlight?

I've known Mario for about two years now, when I was out in Milan. I ran into him frequently back then. I was preparing to play in Qatar, and the club asked me to call Mario because they wanted to sign him as well. So I called him, and he told me he was going to Dubai and asked if I wanted to go with him.

I told him, "That depends on the conditions." After that, he introduced me to Laterza, who is both the club owner and Chievo's president. Laterza introduced me to the project.

As for Mario away from the spotlight? He's very quiet, very calm, and he loves football immensely. That was one of the reasons I accepted his invitation. I've played with almost all the top strikers, and now all that's left is to play with Mario. In my opinion, he's one of Italy's most important strikers. We were already friends, but we never had the chance to be teammates. Now we do.

Have you traveled together before?

No, never. But now we'll be spending every day together, so who knows what might happen down the road... (laughs)

Last season you played in Serie B wearing Chievo's shirt. What was that experience like for you? What did you gain from it?

Because the foreign player quota in Dubai was full, the opportunity to join Chievo came up. The club surprised me greatly in the best way possible. The facilities here and the people working here made me feel fantastic. I arrived in Verona with only three or four months left in the season. I can say that if I'd arrived earlier, I might have performed better and could have helped the team gain promotion to Serie A, which was their goal.

To be honest, when I first arrived at Chievo, I thought it was just a "waiting room" before Dubai. But then I gradually fell in love with the place. They treated me well, my teammates welcomed me warmly and helped me tremendously. At first, I had to adapt to the style of play in Serie B. After I started playing in my usual way, everything flowed smoothly. Of course, none of that would have been possible without my teammates' support. Even my opponents always treated me well. After every match, it's chaotic with fans everywhere.

This summer, owner Laterza has assembled an extremely strong squad again. Do you think Chievo has everything needed to push forward and aim for a return to Serie A in the near future?

Absolutely! Pétrot (Laterza) is very committed. Last Friday, I even went to watch their cup match. The team has changed significantly, and in my opinion, they have everything needed to fight for the league title. It will be difficult and demanding, but this project has very high ambitions.

You were coached by Lucescu during your career. What memories do you have of him? How did he contribute to your development?

Lucescu was my first coach after I came to Europe. I was 19 years old, coming from Grêmio. It was a huge change—from Brazil to Ukraine, and the cold weather there... At that time, I could only speak Portuguese, and I was a bit worried about the language barrier. But communicating with him was easy because he would mix Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian when he spoke.

He was very patient and taught me how to adapt to the team and play, including contributing defensively. He understood that we Brazilian players like to attack and dribble. Of course, there were 11 other Brazilian players there, which made my life much easier.

In any case, Lucescu is one of my mentors. He always encouraged me and always believed in me. Even after I left Ukraine, we maintained an excellent relationship. By then, I was already playing for FC Bayern Munich, and he still wanted to bring me to Dynamo Kyiv. I told him, "Coach, no, you can't do that."

I can say that for me, he was like a father figure. I was only 19 years old, in an unfamiliar country, and he gave me all the time I needed. If I could become the player I am today, part of the credit goes to him.

Going back to 2015, at that time FC Bayern Munich, with Pep Guardiola as coach, extended an invitation to you. How did this opportunity come about? What did you think when you learned that Pep Guardiola wanted you?

At that time, I was playing for Shakhtar Donetsk, and we faced Bayern in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The first leg was in Ukraine in freezing cold, and we drew 0-0. In the second leg, we lost 7-0 and were down to 10 men after about 5 minutes...

For a Brazilian player like me, the Champions League is a showcase to get noticed by Europe's biggest clubs. But after a 7-0 loss, I thought it would be difficult for them to spot any talented players from our team.

I had a good relationship with Rafinha, Bayern's full-back. After the match, he came to me for my phone number, saying someone from the coach's staff wanted to talk to me. I thought they might just want to compliment me a bit. It turned out the person who wanted to talk to me was actually Pep himself.

He called me and asked if I wanted to learn how to play football "properly." I said of course, that I definitely wanted to play for Bayern. But then I explained to him that I wanted playing time because I wanted to achieve my goals, and there was the World Cup too. At that time, Bayern had players like Robben and Ribéry, so I thought I might not play at all...

He replied that as long as I kept showing what I'd shown in those two matches, he would give me playing time. Of course, he couldn't guarantee I'd be a starter. After that, under his management, I played throughout the entire season and had one of my best seasons. There I truly understood the mentality of a champion. I learned so much from him and also learned a lot from champions like Lahm, Neuer, and Xabi Alonso. That experience was one of the happiest periods of my career.

You worked with Pep Guardiola every day. Are there any special stories? Perhaps something funny that still makes you smile today?

He's not a coach who focuses much on managing the dressing room. He has a very clear philosophy: those who want to follow him will play, and those who don't will stay on the bench. He's obsessed with football, always talks about it, and constantly wants to improve. From the first day to the last, it's pure football. Of course, we had physical training too, but a ball was always involved in the sessions. He always wanted you to perform at your best and constantly pushed you to do better.

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