Douglas Costa gave an exclusive interview with Chiamarsi Bomber, reflecting on his career journey from Shakhtar Donetsk to Bayern Munich and then Juventus. He also discussed his goals, dribbling skills, the outstanding teammates he played alongside, and the new adventure awaiting him in the UAE. This article is the first part of the interview.

You're about to start a new journey with your move to Dubai. How did you make the decision to play in the UAE? What aspects of this new experience appeal to you most, both professionally and personally?

First of all, I've played in so many places, and it's the only country I've never played in... (laughs) Besides that, the project is really good. And it's not just me; there's Mario (Balotelli), and Danny (Baselli), who played in Turin. I think we can achieve great things together, and I'm very enthusiastic about my choice.

Speaking of Balotelli, how did your friendship begin? What is he like away from the spotlight?

I've known Mario for about two years. When I was in Milan, I saw him regularly. At that time, I was preparing to move to Qatar to play, and the club asked me to call Mario because they also wanted to sign him. Later, I called him, and he told me he would go to Dubai and asked if I wanted to come with him.

I replied, "That depends on the conditions." Then he introduced me to Raterza, who is both the owner of this club and the owner of Chievo. Raterza presented the project to me.

As for Mario away from the spotlight, he's very quiet, a very peaceful person, and he loves football immensely. That's one of the reasons I accepted his invitation. I've played with almost every top striker, and now only Mario was left. In my opinion, he was once one of Italy's most important strikers. We were friends, but we never had the chance to be teammates, and now finally we have that opportunity.

Have you two ever gone out together before?

No. But now we'll be living together every day, so maybe something will happen in the future...

Last season, you played for Chievo in Serie D. What was that experience like for you? What did you learn from it?

The opportunity to join Chievo came up because the foreign player quota in Dubai was full. This club gave me a very positive surprise. Both the facilities and the people working there made me feel wonderful. I arrived in Verona when the season had only three or four months left. I can say that if I had arrived earlier, I could have done better, and perhaps even helped the team get promoted to Serie C, which was my goal.

To be honest, when I first arrived at Chievo, I thought it was just a temporary stopover before going to Dubai. But then I gradually fell in love with the place; they treated me very well. My teammates welcomed me and helped me a lot. At first, I needed to adapt to the competitive environment of Serie D. Then, when I started playing in my familiar style, everything went very smoothly. Of course, this was also thanks to my teammates' support. Even the opponents were always very good to me. After each match, it was chaotic, with fans everywhere.

This summer, club owner Raterza has once again assembled a very strong squad. Do you think Chievo has everything needed to continue climbing and potentially aim for a return to Serie A in the near future?

Absolutely! Pétrot (Raterza) has put in tremendous effort. I even went to watch their cup match last Friday. The team has changed a lot, and in my opinion, they have everything needed to compete for the championship. It will be difficult and challenging, but this project is very ambitious.

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

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

He was very patient and taught me how to play as part of a team, and also how to contribute defensively. He knew very well that we Brazilian players like to attack and dribble. Of course, there were also 11 other Brazilian players there, which made my life much easier.

Anyway, Lucescu is one of my mentors. He always encouraged me and always believed in me. Even after I left Ukraine, we maintained a very good relationship. When I was playing for Bayern Munich, 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 then, in a foreign country, and he gave me all the time I needed. If I've become the player I am today, he played a part in it.

Let's go back to 2015. At that time, Bayern Munich, under Guardiola's leadership, sent you an invitation. How did this opportunity come about? What did you think when you found out 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 took place in Ukraine, in very cold weather, and we drew 0-0. In the second leg, we lost 0-7, and we had a man sent off around the 5th minute...

For us Brazilian players, the Champions League is somewhat like a stage to showcase ourselves and get the attention of big European clubs. But after losing 0-7, I thought it would be very difficult for them to spot any talented players from our team.

I had a good relationship with Bayern's fullback Rafinha. After the match, he came to ask for my phone number, saying that someone from the club's coaching staff wanted to speak with me. At that time, I thought they might just want to say a few kind words to me. It turned out the person who really wanted to speak with me was Pep.

He called me and asked if I wanted to learn how to play football "properly". I replied, of course I did. Obviously, I definitely wanted to play for Bayern. However, I also explained to him later that I hoped to play regularly, because I wanted to achieve my goals, and there was also the World Cup. At that time, Bayern had players like Robben and Ribéry, so I felt I might not get any playing time at all...

He replied that as long as I could continue to show what I had demonstrated in those two matches, he would give me playing time. Of course, he couldn't guarantee that I would be a starter. Later, under his guidance, I started the entire season and had one of the best seasons of my career. There, I truly understood the mentality of a champion. I learned a lot from him, and also learned a lot from champions like Lahm, Neuer, and Xabi Alonso. That experience was one of the happiest experiences of my career.

You worked with Guardiola every day. Is there a special story, perhaps something interesting that still makes you smile when you think about it?

He's not really a coach who focuses too much on managing the locker room. He has a very clear philosophy: those willing to follow him will play, and those not willing will wait on the sidelines. He's a passionate football enthusiast, always talking about football, and always wanting to improve. From the first day to the last day, it's all about football. Of course, we also do fitness training, but there's always a ball in the sessions. He always wants you to perform at your best and constantly pushes you to do better.

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