Chelsea forward Diego Costa said on Friday that he is no angel on the field and would not change his style of aggressive football.
"Some people seem to think football is like theatre, and that everyone has to play the good guy. But I think that you transform when you cross the white line, you're not the same person as off it. I give no quarter and I ask for none. Out there I'm going to fight for my team and do the best I can," Costa was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"Afterwards, when the match is over, I have my family and my friends. I have fun like a normal person. But on the pitch don't try and put wings on me, as I am no angel."
The Spaniard has already been slapped with two bans this year -- first for stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can and then for a clash with Laurent Koscielny of Arsenal.
"I've got this far thanks to the way I play the game, I'm not going to change that because of what people may think of it," he said.
"I think that football has always had a passionate, aggressive side, with players giving their all," Costa added.
"People have to get used to this."
The 27-year-old has however, managed to get on the score sheet only thrice this season.
