Douglas Costa: “I have the deepest respect for Uli Hoeneß.”

Speaking extensively to Sport Bild, 30-year-old winger Douglas Costa discusses his departure from Bayern Munich for Juventus, his comments from Uli Hoeneß following the Brazilian’s departure and his return to Germany.

Douglas Costa on Uli Hoeneß… “I have the deepest respect for Uli Hoeneß. He played a big part in my first move to Munich, he brought me from Ukraine to a top club and I will never forget that. It’s logical that as president, he represented the interests of the club back then. I know that Uli Hoeneß fights like a lion for Bayern.”

On his departure to Juventus… “I think Uli Hoeneß’s reaction after my departure was understandable. The club lost a player who was important. In his eyes, I was only interested in money when I left. I would have said the same thing about myself if I were in his place. I had other offers but Juventus is a top club that is among the best in Europe. I wanted to win the Champions League there.”

On his return to Bayern Munich & players campaigning for his return… “I’ve wanted to come back to Munich for a while. I felt really good there and I’m very happy to be here again. If that was the case, it makes me proud. It makes me happy that these guys enjoy me and the way I play football. There was always an exchange with people like Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Müller & Joshua Kimmich.”

On competition with Serge Gnabry & Co… “The question of who is a started and who is a backup player is overrated in my opinion. All the players will be incredibly important to the club, everyone will get their game time.”

Douglas Costa joined Bayern Munich from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015 for €30 million before leaving for Juventus in 2018. After the Bundesliga club failed to sign Ivan Perisic on a permanent deal, Hansi Flick opted to sign former winger Douglas Costa back from Juventus.

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