Diego Costa says one of the main reasons he joined Chelsea last summer was to play for Jose Mourinho, who he rates as one of the top three managers in world football.

Costa won the Premier League title in his first season working under the Portuguese manager.

The 27-year-old Brazilian said he felt Mourinho was up there with Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola and his former Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone as the best in the game.

"Ask a million players who they want as their manager, and they will all come back with a top-three list of Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and ''Cholo'' (Diego) Simeone," Costa said.

"It is one of the reasons I joined Chelsea, because when you have a manager who is always in the title race and always playing in the Champions League, competing at the top level, it's going to help you develop and become a better player, and help you win titles."