- Paul Okey
- 6 September 2021
Transfer Talk: Salernitana land Ribery but Luiz will not be joining Serie A new boys
Luiz reports are fake, says Fabrizio Romano who also doesn’t believe the rumours, while the Jack Wilshere of 2011 is linked with Leeds.
David Luiz is a Brazilian defender who plays for Flamengo in his native country.
He came to prominence in Europe during his time at Benfica, and later went on to play for Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Luiz mainly plays as a centre-back, but has been used as a holding midfielder and a full-back during his career.
Stamford Bridge silverware
David Luiz was signed by Chelsea from Benfica in January 2011, for a reported fee of €25million with Nemanja Matic moving from the Blues to Benfica as part of the deal.
David Luiz got off to a fine start at Stamford Bridge, scoring some crucial goals, including ones against Manchester United and Manchester City.
However, Chelsea supporters also caught a glimpse of David Luiz's erratic side. A crucial error from Luiz allowed Manchester United to score through Javier Hernandez in the reverse Premier League fixture, which United won 2-1. The title went to Old Trafford rather than Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea finishing as runners-up.
In the 2011/12 season, David Luiz and Chelsea started erratically under new manager Andre Villas-Boas. However, following the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo as interim manager, the Blues regrouped and Luiz played a key role in Chelsea winning their first ever Champions League title.
David Luiz featured regularly during the following season. After Di Matteo's departure, and the subsequent appointment of Rafael Benitez as interim manager, the Brazilian was occasionally used as a holding midfielder. Chelsea finished third in the Premier League, an improvement on their sixth-place finish in the previous season, and won the UEFA Europa League.
Jose Mourinho was reappointed Chelsea manager ahead of the 2013/14 season, but preferred John Terry and Gary Cahill in the heart of defence to Luiz. At the end of the season the Brazilian signed for Paris Saint-Germain for £50million.
Mourinho was sacked in December 2015 and Antonio Conte took over as head coach ahead of the 2016/17 season. He brought David Luiz back to Chelsea, for £34million, and the centre-back enjoyed arguably his best season in blue.
He shone in a three-man defence as Chelsea won the Premier League title. The following season was not as successful, but Chelsea still won the FA Cup.
FA Cup winner again, thanks God,second time ! 🏆😉👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/qcyIBh6SlW
— David Luiz (@DavidLuiz_4) May 19, 2018
Conte was sacked in 2018 and Maurizio Sarri took over as Chelsea head coach, guiding the Blues to another Europa League crown in 2019.
David Luiz left Chelsea for London rivals Arsenal in 2019 following the appointment of former team-mate Frank Lampard as head coach, which came after Sarri left for Juventus.
Paris Saint-Germain switch
David Luiz cost Paris Saint-Germain a reported fee of £50million in 2014. At the time, this was a world record fee for a defender.
Alongside compatriot Thiago Silva, David Luiz enjoyed success with PSG. The club won all three major domestic titles - Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue - in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🇫🇷🙌🏽 https://t.co/puwsGzG5Qe pic.twitter.com/NMi4XBZyhj
— David Luiz (@DavidLuiz_4) March 14, 2016
David Luiz also famously irritated Chelsea fans by celebrating after scoring against them in the 2014/15 Champions League. PSG went on to win that tie and progress to the quarter-finals, where they lost to Barcelona.
The Brazilian's return to Chelsea in 2016 reportedly cost the West London club £34million.
Arsenal experience
Arsenal reportedly paid £8million to secure the services of the Brazilian. Unai Emery was the head coach at the time of Luiz's arrival, but after a poor start to the season, he was replaced by former Arsenal player Mikel Arteta.
The 2019/20 season was put on hold due to COVID-19, and upon its return, Luiz received heavy criticism for his initial performances, including setting a record for the most penalties conceded by a player in a season. However, he bounced back with some impressive displays towards the end of the season and helped Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final.
After two seasons in north London, Luiz departed the Gunners to return to his native Brazil, where he now plays for Flamengo.
Brazil rollercoaster
David Luiz has regularly featured for the Brazilian national team since making his debut against USA in 2010. His international career has been as turbulent as his career at club level.
During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he scored a stunning free-kick in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Colombia. However, he was also the captain of the team which suffered an embarrassing 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals.
Despite Luiz's impressive displays in the early stages of the tournament, there was surprise when he was named in the Team of the Tournament, largely due to Brazil's defeats in the semi-finals and third place playoff.
Luiz was left out of Brazil's 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.
Personal life
David Luiz is a devout Christian, and is engaged to girlfriend Bruna Loureiro. His mansion in London was featured on MTV Cribs.
Net worth
Luiz and team-mate Willian own Babbo, an Italian restaurant in Mayfair. His estimated net worth is believed to be around $68million.
