About David Luiz, one must know that he is one of the showmen of World football, one of the best defenders around, having represented some of the biggest names in European football. The former Benfica, Chelsea and PSG defender has command over the game, is a leader on and off the pitch and has had his share of great moments. He has won the Premier League, the Champions League, the Portuguese League and the Ligue 1. Here are 10 Things you didn’t know about David Luiz.
Luiz was the World’s costliest defender once
We should start with this fact about David Luiz that in an age when the likes of van Dijks and Harry Maguires go for 100 m pounds, David Luiz became football’s costliest defender when moving from Chelsea to Paris St. Germain. Initially rumored to be around 50 m pounds, Luiz flourished at PSG before moving back to Chelsea on deadline day two years later.
Portugal were ready to cap Luiz before Brazil
Another story about David Luiz suggests that he moved out of Brazil fairly young, at a time when he was a teenager to play for Benfica in Portugal. During his five years in Portugal, he managed to speak the language, acquire a Portuguese citizenship and win the hearts of people in Portugal. The Portuguese FA wanted Luiz to represent Portugal at one stage. However, the lanky defender refused the offer and went on to play for Brazil instead.
Read Also: Fastest To 350 ODI Wickets
A fan of Kaka, his role model
One interesting story about David Luiz is that he grew up watching the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Ronaldo lighting up world football. The golden generation of Brazilian football awed him, but it was Kaka he took to the most. The former AC Milan midfielder is an Evangelical Christian, a faith that Luiz credits everything to, including the good things in his life. It was Kaka he modeled his career around.
He had a humble upbringing
David Luiz came out of the Sao Paolo FC academy after he spent two years training to be the best version of himself. Luiz played on the streets as a kid, had minimal needs and looked at the positive side of things. His career took off after a couple of good showings for Victoria, when Portuguese side Benfica came calling.
बैडमिंटन में: सदी के महानतम 10 बैडमिंटन खिलाड़ी
A Devout Christian
Religion is one aspect about David Luiz that gives his life purpose. He may be one of the best defenders in the game but he never lost focus of his purpose in life. He is a devout Christian and married his childhood girlfriend Sara Madeira. The couple were religious to an extent that they allowed themselves no sexual pleasures till they were husband and wife.
Baptized in Teammate’s pool
David Luiz decided to follow the ideals of Baptism after he had made it as a professional football. His baptism ceremony took place inside the pool of his former PSG teammate Maxwell in Paris. He vows to keep his faith in God, to fulfill his purpose and believes that his sole motive in life is to play the beautiful game.
Hair, a Style Statement? Not Only That!
Whenever people talk about David Luiz, his hairstyle is talked about. It gives him an unique identity and is his style statement for years. However, there’s more to the hair than you would presume. The curly hair acts as a shield for the defender in aerial battles, protecting him from injuries. Also, footballers with a hair canopy are less susceptible to heat loss from the head.
हॉकी में: 8 भारतीय हॉकी कप्तान जिनके नाम है ओलिंपिक गोल्ड मेडल जीत
Tale About David Luiz & Chelsea
David Luiz has had a hot and cold relationship with the London outfit, having signed for them in 2012. He infamously left them for PSG in 2014 after a series of rifts. However, against all odds, he resigned from them in 2016 with Antonio Conte at the helm. Things went sour a couple of years later as he left the Blues this time for arch-rivals Arsenal. Playing for Arsenal, he scored against Chelsea and celebrated his goal as well, later apologizing in the press.
He Lied for a Good Cause
One tale about David Luiz is from Champions League. Chelsea played the Final of the Champions League in 2012 under the tutelage of Roberto di Matteo. The Final was to be held at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich. He had injured himself the week before and was due for a fitness test. He asked the doctor to lie to the coach about his fitness even if he did not pass the test. He played the game on painkillers and put in a brilliant performance as Chelsea won late on penalties against the German giants.
Luiz is a Serial Cryer
You must be knowing this about about David Luiz. Men don’t cry, they say. However, emotions are normal and even someone of the stature of David Luiz cries often when overwhelmed by emotions. Pictures of him breaking down on the pitch after Brazil’s 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany in the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup are still famous and breaks hearts of millions of football fans worldwide. Luiz was the senior defender on the night, playing alongside Miranda in the absence of captain Thiago Silva.
#स्पोर्ट्सक्रंच: क्या आप जानते हैं ये 10 बातें स्लाटन इब्रहिमोविक के बारे में? @Ibra_official #Ibrahimović #ZlatanIbrahimović #ACMilan @acmilan https://t.co/Ha7z35gTHz pic.twitter.com/N8WKaXBXqG
— SportsCrunch (@SportsCrunch) May 5, 2020