Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld won't hear criticism of Chelsea striker Diego Costa.

The pair played together at Atletico Madrid.

Alderweireld said: "A lot has been said and written about Diego. Some of it true, some of it not so true. He's a very tough guy and a very good striker. He always wants to win, even if it's just a training match.

"But off the pitch he is totally different. He is a good friend and a very nice guy. When I was the new guy at Atletico he was very kind to me. He helped me a lot and made sure I felt welcome. He looked after me and I learnt about the club from him. He's a totally different guy off the pitch than on it.

"He loves his pranks. There were so many it is difficult to pick out just one. He was milling around doing them all the time. But he is a very good person.

"He was just very nice to me. He was one of the few players who could speak a little English so to me that was quite helpful. He showed me around and was very good to me. He tried to help me settle."