Kieran Trippier reveals funny nickname ‘lunatic’ Diego Costa had for him at Atletico Madrid which stuck for two years

Jackson Cole, talkSPORT.com evening editorPublished: 18:23, 9 Jun 2024Updated: 18:23, 9 Jun 2024

Kieran Trippier was nicknamed ‘Rooney’ at Atletico Madrid, and it was started by former Chelsea striker Diego Costa.

The England defender enjoyed a successful two-and-a-half years in the Spanish capital having helped the team to the LaLiga title in the 2020/21 season.

Trippier has spoken highly of his time with Atleti but Costa certainly kept people on their toesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

It seems the most of his worries were the confusion he felt over why he was being compared to Manchester United and England legend Wayne despite having very different games.

When asked why he was called Rooney, full-back Trippier said on The Overlap: “You know what, I actually don’t know. He used to call me Rooney every single day for about two years!

“I shaved my head once and Rooney shaved his head so from then everyone started calling me Rooney at Madrid.”

The nickname was coined by a character in the game in Costa, who Trippier says was a ‘lunatic’ in the dressing room.

Trippier also said that Costa’s wild training ground antics were often overlooked by Atleti boss Diego Simeone.

When asked who the best character he’s ever had in the dressing room, Trippier said: “Diego Costa. Lunatic, absolute lunatic!

“We’d be walking down a hill on a training pitch and he’d fly past you on one of those buggies or a tractor doing doughnuts on the pitch. He was a lunatic.

“But Simeone… brilliant in the dressing room… Simeone sort of accepted it.”

Neville loved Costa’s nickname for TrippierCredit: YouTube @The Overlap

Trippier will represent England at his fourth major tournament at Euro 2024, which begins on Friday.

The Three Lions start their campaign on Sunday June 16 when they take on Serbia with talkSPORT bringing you full coverage from every match of the tournament.

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