David Luiz
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| David Luiz | |
| |
| Full Name | David Luiz Moreira Marinho |
| Date of Birth | 22 April 1987 |
| Place of Birth | Diadema, Brazil |
| Position | Defender Midfielder |
| Chelsea career | 2011-2014 2016-2019 |
| Debut | 6 February 2011 |
| Games (goals) | 248 (18) |
| Other clubs | Vitória Benfica Paris Saint-Germain Arsenal |
David Luiz Moreira Marinho, known as David Luiz, is a Brazilian international defender who played for Chelsea between 2011 and 2014 before re-joining the club in 2016. He signed in January 2011 from Benfica, for a reported fee of £21.4m, with Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matić moving to the Portuguese club as part of the deal. A committed player with excellent technique, David Luiz was nominally signed as a centre back but could play across the defence and in central midfield, where he was often employed in the latter part of his Chelsea career. He was a key member of Chelsea's 2012 UEFA Champions League and 2013 UEFA Europa League-winning sides. He was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in June 2014 for a fee reportedly in the region of £50m; the most Chelsea had ever received for a player. [1]
On August 31st 2016, however, he re-signed for Chelsea on a three-year contract, with the option of an additional year, for a reported £30m. He departed in August 2019 to join Arsenal.
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Before Chelsea
Vitória
David Luiz arrived at Esporte Clube Vitória at the age of 14 after being released by São Paulo FC. After struggling in a defensive midfield role he was moved to central defender and adapted well.
Luiz made his official debut for Vitória in 2006, and excelled against Santa Cruz Futebol Clube in that season's Brazilian Cup, in a 2-2 draw. His displays also helped Vitória to promotion from the third division that season.
Benfica
Luiz joined Sport Lisboa e Benfica on 31 January 2007, before making his debut for the club in a UEFA Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, partnering compatriot Anderson in the centre of the defense, replacing the injured Luisão. Benfica lost the match 2-1, but managed to go through to the next round after winning 4-3 on aggregate. On 12 March 2007, he played his first league match for Benfica, against União de Leiria , and signed a five-year deal with the club at the end of the season. Benfica finished fourth after an injury-hampered season for the Brazilian, in which he only managed eight appearances in the league.
On 11 January 2009, David Luiz scored his first official goal for Benfica, the only goal in a home win against Sporting de Braga. He played most of the campaign as a left back, at the expense of Portuguese international, Jorge Ribeiro. In the 2009-10 season, Luiz was ever present, appearing in 49 official matches, scoring three goals, as Benfica won the league after a five-year wait. In the season's League Cup, in a 4-1 away win against Sporting, he opened the scoring in the 8th minute, with Benfica also eventually winning the competition.
On 30 September 2009, Benfica sold 25% of Luiz's economic rights on any future transfer to a third party owner, Benfica Stars Fund, along with other teammates. He was tagged at €18 million, with the fund paying €4.5 million; his contract was also renewed in October, with a release clause of €50 million.
A long-standing target for Chelsea, Benfica confirmed on 27 January 2011 that they were in negotiations with the London club over the Brazilian's transfer [2]. A day later Benfica announced that the move was off [3], but negotiations were revived on transfer deadline day, when a deal was agreed between the two clubs.
Chelsea career
First Spell 2011-2014
David Luiz completed a reported £21.4 million move to Chelsea on 31 January 2011. As part of the deal, Nemanja Matić would join Benfica at the end of the season, following the expiry of his loan deal with Vitesse [4]. The defender made his debut on 6 February, replacing José Bosingwa in the second half of a home defeat against Liverpool. He made his first start for Chelsea eight days later, in a 0-0 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage. He was awarded the Barclays Man of the Match award for his impressive performance, despite giving away a penalty in the 93rd minute of the game, which was saved by Petr Čech.
The Brazilian scored his first goal for Chelsea in his next appearance, with a superbly taken equaliser against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. The Blues went on to win the match 2-1, Frank Lampard scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot just before David Luiz was substituted to a rapturous ovation from the home fans in recognition of his perfomance. The Brazilian scored his second goal for Chelsea in the Blues' next home game against Manchester City; opening the scoring with a glanced header from a corner, before fellow Brazilian international Ramires sealed a 2-0 win. He was later awarded the Premier League Player of the Month award for March, in just his second month in English football. The Brazilian continued to start every Premier League game, but did not appear after a crucial 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which effectively extinguished the Blues' hopes of retaining the Premier League title. Chelsea conceded in the first minute after David Luiz failed to cut out a through ball, allowing Javier Hernández to slot the ball past Petr Čech. The Brazilian was replaced by compatriot Alex at half time, Carlo Ancelotti subsequently stating that the defender was carrying a minor injury. [5]
The Brazilian defender missed the start of the 2011-12 season with a knee injury, but started and scored in the first match of Chelsea's Champions League campaign against Bayer Leverkusen; his debut in the competition for Chelsea. He scored a penalty in the shoot-out as Chelsea overcame Fulham in the League Cup, but missed a penalty from open play in a Champions League match against Genk a few weeks later. He picked up another minor knee injury in December, but returned to the side for the Boxing Day fixture. David Luiz was a regular starter from then on, and though he was occasionally used as a substitute by interim manager Roberto Di Matteo following André Villas-Boas' sacking in early March, he remained a key member of the side, and started both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against his old club Benfica. The defender then picked up a hamstring injury during Chelsea's 5-1 FA Cup semi-final victory against Tottenham Hotspur, which threatened to keep him out for the remainder of the season. Ahead of the Champions League Final, with John Terry and Branislav Ivanović suspended and Gary Cahill also facing a race to be fit, Chelsea's centre back options looked very limited. David Luiz and Cahill both recovered sufficiently to start the final, though the Brazilian later admitted that he was in severe discomfort for much of the match. Nonetheless, he put in a superb performance over the full 120 minutes, and scored in the shoot-out, helping Chelsea to their maiden victory in the competition.
In the 2012-13 season Luiz’s versatility was on full display as he played both centre-back and defensive midfield. He scored stunning long-range goals, including a memorable strike vs Fulham. He started the Europa League Final, helping Chelsea win their second European trophy in as many years.
A season later with Jose Mourinho who preffered to play a more disciplined back line, Luiz was often used in midfield. While still effective, he was not always first-choice, and in summer 2014 he was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for a then world-record fee for a defender (~£50 million).
Second Spell 2016-2019
2016-17 season
Re-signed by Chelsea on deadline day for ~£34 million, Luiz was at the heart of Conte’s back three. He showed greater positional discipline and leadership, anchoring the defence as Chelsea won the Premier League. His only goal in that season was scored at Anfield from a wonderful free-kick. His transformation earned praise, and he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
2017-18 season
Injuries and a reported rift with Conte saw Luiz fall out of favour. He featured only sporadically but collected another FA Cup medal, although he didn’t feature in the final.
2018-19 season
Restored to the starting XI, Luiz played a key role in Sarri’s possession-based system. He formed a solid partnership with Antonio Rüdiger and was instrumental in Chelsea’s Europa League triumph, starting the final against Arsenal. Shortly after, he signed a new contract—but left the club unexpectedly in summer 2019.
International career
David Luiz had a solid international career with Brazil, earning over 50 caps between 2010 and 2017. He was part of the squad that won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and played a key role in the 2014 World Cup on home soil. Notably, he captained Brazil and scored a stunning free-kick against Colombia in the quarter-finals. However, the campaign ended in disappointment with a 7–1 semi-final loss to Germany. He also appeared in the 2011 and 2015 Copa América tournaments.
Statistics
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2010-11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| 2011-12 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 3 |
| 2012-13 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 7 |
| 2013-14 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| 2017-18 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| Total | 160 | 11 | 22 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 42 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 248 | 15 |
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 2010-11 | 1 March | 2011 | Premier League | Manchester United | 1-1 | 2-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 2 | 2010-11 | 20 March | 2011 | Premier League | Manchester City | 1-0 | 2-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 3 | 2011-12 | 13 September | 2011 | UEFA Champions League | Bayer Leverkusen | 1-0 | 2-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 4 | 2011-12 | 5 February | 2012 | Premier League | Manchester United | 3-0 | 3-3 | Stamford Bridge |
| 5 | 2011-12 | 25 February | 2012 | Premier League | Bolton Wanderers | 1-0 | 3-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 6 | 2012-13 | 02 October | 2012 | UEFA Champions League | Nordsjælland | 2-0 | 4-0 | Parken Stadium |
| 7 | 2012-13 | 31 October | 2012 | League Cup | Manchester United | 1-1 | 5-4 | Stamford Bridge |
| 8 | 2012-13 | 05 December | 2012 | UEFA Champions League | Nordsjælland | 1-0 | 6-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 9 | 2012-13 | 23 December | 2012 | Premier League | Aston Villa | 2-0 | 8-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 10 | 2012-13 | 17 April | 2013 | Premier League | Fulham | 1-0 | 3-0 | Craven Cottage |
| 11 | 2012-13 | 25 April | 2013 | UEFA Europa League | Basel | 2-1 | 2-1 | St. Jakob-Park |
| 12 | 2012-13 | 2 May | 2013 | UEFA Europa League | Basel | 3-1 | 3-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 13 | 2016-17 | 31 January | 2017 | Premier League | Liverpool | 1-0 | 1-1 | Anfield |
| 14 | 2017-18 | 12 August | 2017 | Premier League | Burnley | 2-3 | 2-3 | Stamford Bridge |
| 15 | 2017-18 | 18 October | 2017 | UEFA Champions League | Roma | 1-0 | 3-3 | Stamford Bridge |
| 16 | 2018-19 | 08 December | 2018 | Premier League | Manchester City | 2-0 | 2-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 17 | 2018-19 | 02 February | 2019 | Premier League | Huddersfield Town | 5-0 | 5-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 18 | 2018-19 | 05 May | 2019 | Premier League | Watford | 2-0 | 3-0 | Stamford Bridge |
Honours
- Vitória
- Bahia State Championship: 2005
- Primeira Liga: 2009-10
- Taça da Liga: 2009, 2010, 2011
- Chelsea
- FA Cup: 2012, 2018
- UEFA Champions League: 2012
- UEFA Europa League: 2013, 2018-19
- Premier League: 2016-17
