But nobody need fear that being likened to such exciting luminaries will force Costa to grow too big for his magical boots.
He’s said to be a quiet young man who used the chance to escape to Ukraine from Brazilian club Gremio to avoid the growing hullabaloo surrounding him after his eye-catching impact at international youth level.
“I had quite a tumultuous start to my career but I learned from that. Now I try not to get involved in any hype whatsoever,” he said.
The fuss started again after reports that he had turned up in Old Trafford’s VIP seats last Saturday to watch the Bolton match. The club now say that it was a case of mistaken identity and that the 20-year-old was “100 per cent definitely not” at the game.
Nevertheless, having been on United’s radar once, his Champions League impact with Shakhtar Donetsk – he has helped the Ukrainians into the last eight for the first time in their history – means that the speculation regarding Costa and the Reds, plus the likes of City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Milan, will increase once more.
Costa ticks the boxes for the Reds, who need his pace and flair to inject life into an engine room that has been criticised for lacking imagination when veteran Paul Scholes isn’t on form or playing.
An early capture next month, as the Reds pulled off with Javier Hernandez last April to beat the close-season rush, could now be on the cards.
The early comparisons with Ronaldinho were unavoidable and inevitable as Costa was making his way at the very same Gremio club in Porto Alegre that had launched his predecessor’s illustrious career.
He also shared Ronaldinho’s penchant for displaying a catalogue of flashy tricks on the park.
Sir Alex Ferguson once described the 20-year-old as “probably the best young player in South America”.
Costa was certainly destined to join the elite of Brazilian footballing greats.
“My mother told me that I tried to play football inside her while she was pregnant,” he said.
“So, when my parents learned they had a boy, they had no doubt I would be a football player. I remember myself always kicking a ball. A ball was my favourite toy. I can’t do anything else. I don’t even know how to dance samba.”
Maybe his skills don’t extend to dancing, but his soccer ability has attracted attention from some of game’s big names.
Inevitably, United have charted his progress ever since they were first alerted to the attacking midfielder.
In June, 2009, the Reds even asked the Brazilians if they could have the then 18-year-old Costa at Old Trafford on a 20-day loan trial.
They wanted to see him at close-quarters before committing themselves.
It was an avenue quickly rejected by Gremio president Duda Kroeff, who insisted that Costa was too good for a trial.
“We have said to them (Manchester United) that this will not happen,” said Kroeff at the time. “Douglas is not at the stage where he would go through such a situation.”
Costa was aware of United’s interest and, if it were up to him, he’d have been at Old Trafford in 2010.
“I know definitely that Manchester United sent a fax to my club, Gremio, asking them to release me to their training ground so they could see my skills,” he said.
“But the bosses of Gremio refused, saying that I already had the ability to play at the top level. They told Manchester United they could sign me without any trials.
“I like the style of Manchester United and, if I could have chosen, I would have preferred to go there, but they weren’t ready.”
United decided not to take it further at that stage and early suitors like Barcelona and Real Madrid also kept their powder dry.
None of the big European admirers moved with a counter bid, when, out of the blue, Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk swooped to land Costa for £10m just 15 months ago.
The shock sale suited his club, who were in debt. They injected a sell-on clause in the deal and will receive 15 per cent of any future transfer fee.
“I was not expecting it,” Costa admitted, when he signed up for the Ukrainians.
“I only thought of Gremio. But now I think about Donetsk and I’m extremely happy. That’s two times they tried to sign me. I do not know if this is the right time to leave but I mostly thought about my family.”
While moving from South America to eastern Europe might have appeared to be a step into the unknown, his new employers were regarded as the most Brazilian of all the Eastern European sides, having a strong community of compatriots and the club had signed 13 Brazilians in the last eight years prior to Costa.
Douglas was immediately in contact with his fellow countrymen already on Shakhtar’s books.
“I phoned Ukraine and talked with Willian and Luiz Adriano, who are both from my area of Porto Alegre,” he said.
“They advised me to join Shakhtar because they said this club is one of the strongest in Europe.”
He quickly won the respect and admiration of everyone at the Ukrainian club for his ability and manner.
“Douglas is very talented, but talent is not enough in football any more. You have to work hard in training, be disciplined, organised and focused. Douglas is an example of such a player,” said his coach Mircea Lucescu.
But Shakhtar skipper Darijo Srna admits Costa is only likely to be a temporary team-mate.
“I’ve never seen such nimbleness – he is on a par with Messi. His speed with the ball and technique are out of this world.
“I know many scouts have watched him. Lots of clubs are taking an interest – the likes of United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
“He really does stand out, he makes a difference on the pitch. Douglas can beat three players with ease.
“This boy is hugely talented and is certainly a player destined for a big club.”
The next major stadium stop is the Nou Camp in April, where the Brazilian will come face-to-face with one of the men he’s compared to when Donetsk take on Barcelona and Messi in the quarter-final first leg in Spain.
A classy show in the Catalan and maybe Costa will be turning up at Old Trafford for real.
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Douglas Costa is a winger. Mario Goetze story had more bite for me as he plays closer to Scholes' position, of course as is always the case, United distance themselves from potential targets as far as possible... I get the impression this one on Costa is simply the regurgitation of an old story.
Surely this needs a question mark...?
Has a new high water mark been reached in the non-story stakes?
Most of these foreign mercenaries end up like city players with no real heart for the club..we need a british player to replace Scholes....Cleverley should be given a chance next season....united should use the homegrown players who the club has already put up to 10 yrs into by the time they are 21...there are only a few big players capable of replacing Scholes and they are not for sale.....WHITETIGER ..
I know people will say why didn't we go for him 18 months ago when we were linked with Costa first but I reckon his time in Donetsk has served him well....
.... Maybe we should have looked at buying him and loaning him out???
.... I just doubt he was ready at the time.
I really hope we get this boy! Looks like an exciting prospect!
Not seen the lad in any live action only whats on u tube about him, But what i ve seen
is enough to say buy him he like Pastore can ghost past players, Deliver a through ball
and not seen if he can tackle properly yet,But eh! we,ve Fletcher and Cleverley for that
what i do know if we can sign Costa and Pastore or Kafour. with a midfeild quartet of
Costa,Pastore/Kafour,Fletcher,Cleverley. Perm any 2 of them plus Nani,Valencia with
Rooney,Hernandez. we,d have an attack that even Barcelona would fear never mind Chelski
or Citeh, Fergie knows what the team needs 2 midfielders,goalkeeper,and a defender or two who aint always injured,over to you Fergie
Wasn't he a player we were balking at paying 8 million for a year and a half ago?
More likely one of the youngsters waiting to break through will be Paul Scholes replacement. Hopefully one or more of Pogba, Morrison or Cleverley make it.
"A classy show in the Catalan and maybe Costa will be turning up at Old Trafford for real."
Yeah....for 'Real' Madrid against United maybe.
No value in the market see.....
costa is a very gifted guy a must buy
united are pretty dumb at times a trial the guy as class written all over him makes carrick and fletcher look even more ordinary
Why replace Paul Scholes when he's going to be here for the next five years?
I expect all the ridiculous transfer talk will have to stop after todays revelations.
i dont see us signing many players this summer. with the glasier making a huge loss last year. they are more likley to take cash out of united then iinvest huge amounts on players. plus the fact we resigned carrick and fletcher cant see us signing a cm. saying that this lads age mean we might get away as counting him as under 21. but he will cost alot even due 2 the 15% that needs to be payed to his original club. cant see united investig 20-30 mill on 1 player when we will have to spend around 20 mill on a keeper. currentley we have no real back up to rafael and with rios injuries we need a new central defender. we only have valencia and nani on wings. with them out we lack balance on wings. cant see us signing more that 2 players this summer of that 1 will be a keeper and other i personally think will either be rodwell or sanchez as they can play in more that 1 position. rodwell can play in mid. dm and cdefence. sanchez across the mid and forward. and regarding costa if none of the big clubs where willing to buy him when he was still in brazil there most have some sort of issues with him.
What are we going to buy him with?
GLAZER MONEY, I DON'T THINK SO!!!
City have got an interest! Back off now. If the goons will pay 17 mill for Kolorov and 27 mill for Dzecko,what would they pay for somebody good.
The Da Silva twins showed recently against the second team in the EPL that they are more at home in midfield than in defence, especially Fabio who, had not Berba scored that goal against Bolton, was in a perfect position of doing it himself and that would have been his third goal this season having played so few games. I think at the moment, even without injuries, the defence is what most needs a shake up with a couple of first class mid-twenties players. Then comes the midfield, but I think the priority lies in the defence.
We should go for Douglas Costa and we have to buy Alexis Sanchez. Costa, Sanchez, Neuer (if KK leaves) in the summer and naturally Tom Cleverley becomes main stream in our first team aswell as the exits of Owen Hargreaves, Michael Owen, probably Mame Biram Diouf (hope he stays) and Tomasz Kuszczak if he decides to go (hopefully KK stays). There, the summer actìvity is sorted.
tooth&claw, Manchester
"We have £165m cash in the bank".
Do we?
IF we do it's to pay the Glazer's bills with, not to buy some new players that will be the eqivalent of the ones we will be losing.
We have a ready made Scholes replacement in Rooney. Whilst I welcome players of Costa's talent we don't appear to do very well in the south American stakes. Take kleberson who was supposed to be the next great thing .
Costa was a name bandied about a few years ago when he was still in Brazil and we didn't bite then.He is one of many names 'definitely' on their way to OT in the summer. Believe it when you see it!! As for, the revelation that United have contacted his club? Sounds more like a 'come and get me' call by Costa. Will we heed it? From what has been linked with United in 'exclusive reports', I'd say he was some way down the pecking order. I am sure that, if David Gill says that there is a war chest of £165m, he is telling the truth - how much of that is likely to be released for player purchase is a little less certain.
Ticks the boxes...............
Not Costa a lot?
Get young Tom Cleverley back from his loan spell in the summer and give the lad a chance,there seems to be a goal in him from midfield just like the old Scholes.
Once again the cats out of the bag no bargains about. £10m for probably the best player in south america.Fergie your budget is tiny now the owners will want to recoup their losses so £20m for Costa leaves about another £20 m to bring in a midfield.
If we can get him on a free it might be possible. I genuinely hope we have got money to spend, and I hope I am wrong thinking that the only reason for Fergie to issue new contracts to Fletcher Scholes and Carrick, is there is no money for players.
Dont wait about get the contract sorted and get this talent on to all things utd.
Remember we was linked with louis suarez and we didnt take action then next thing liverscum pocketed him and hes playing a blinder at the scum.
get the i's dotted and the t crossed and dont let the big fish escape us ive seen him play for shaktar and he is ace in midfeild just the thing we need.