Alexandre Pato has opened up on how his former Chelsea team-mate Diego Costa used to deal with abuse.

Pato, 34, was once one of the most highly-rated attackers in the world when he shined for AC Milan, scoring 56 goals in 125 appearances for the Italian giants between 2007 and 2011.

However, the Brazilian – who also netted 10 times in 27 caps for his country – then suffered an unfortunate run of injuries and struggled for form.

In an attempt to get his career back on track, Pato joined Chelsea on loan in January 2016, where he was a team-mate of fellow countryman Costa.

Costa was prolific during his time at Stamford Bridge and hugely popular among the Chelsea fanbase.

However, he was somewhat of a pantomime villain for opposition supporters, while his abrasive style often saw him criticised in the media.

Pato explained he couldn’t understand why the abuse Costa received never seemed to bother him, before revealing the hilarious reason why his team-mate was able to get on with things.

‘When I arrived at Chelsea, Diego Costa was there,’ he told Flow Sport Club. ‘The English media were criticising him & the rival fans were swearing at him.

‘But he’s always calm. I asked him: “How do you cope with this pressure?”

‘Diego said: “I don’t understand anything. I don’t speak English”.

Pato didn’t make much of an impact at Chelsea, scoring once in just two appearances.

He has since failed to reach the heights of the early days in his career, playing for the likes of Villarreal, Tianjin Quanjian, Sao Paulo and Orlando City.

Meanwhile, Costa was much more successful in England, winning two Premier League titles with the Blues as he netted 59 goals in 120 games between 2014 and 2017.

However, his Blues career ended in acrimonious fashion when he was informed in the summer of 2017 by then-boss Antonio Conte that he no longer had a future at the club, with the Italian telling Costa via text message.

Costa went onto play for Atletico Madrid, Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo, while he also enjoyed a spell at Wolves last season, before he signed for Gremio earlier this year.