Football Player's Biography 7: David Luiz

Full name	David Luiz Moreira Marinho
Date of birth	22 April 1987 (1987-04-22) (age 23)
Place of birth	Diadema, Brazil
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Defender

David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) known as David Luiz, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League.
Mainly a central defender, he can also operate at left back and right back.

Club career

Vitória

Born in Diadema, São Paulo, David Luiz arrived in Esporte Clube Vitória at the age of 14 after being released by São Paulo FC,^[1] and started playing as a defensive midfielder, almost leaving the club for his poor performances in that position.^[2] However, he was soon moved to central defender and adapted well.^[3] Luiz made his official debut for Vitória in 2006, and excelled against Santa Cruz Futebol Clube for that season's Brazilian Cup, in a 2–2 draw.^[3]
As Vitória promoted to the second division at the end of the season, after finishing in second position, Luiz appeared in eight of the club's last nine games,^[4] scoring his only Série C goal on 3 September 2006, in a 2–0 home win against Clube Atlético do Porto.^[5]

Benfica

On 31 January 2007, Luiz joined Sport Lisboa e Benfica as a replacement for Tottenham Hotspur-bound Ricardo Rocha, on loan.^[6] He made a somewhat tumultuous debut for the club in a UEFA Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, partnering compatriot Anderson in the center 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.^[7] At the end of the season, Luiz signed a five-year deal with the club^[8] and, on 5 August, scored his first goal for the club in the Torneio do Guadiana friendly tournament, against Sporting Clube de Portugal. However, he only managed eight appearances in the league due to injury, as Benfica finished fourth.
On 11 January 2009, David Luiz netted his first official goal for Benfica, the game's only in a home success 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 everpresent, appearing in 49 official matches (three goals, 4,206 minutes), 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 score 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;^[9] his contract was also renewed in October, with a release clause of €50 million.^[10]

Chelsea

On 31 January 2011, David Luiz completed a €25 million move to Chelsea, with Nemanja Matić joining Benfica at the end of the season after his loan spell away at Vitesse.^[11]^[12] He made his official – and Premier League – debut on 6 February, replacing José Bosingwa in a 0–1 home loss against Liverpool.^[13] Eight days later, he made his first start for Chelsea, in a 0–0 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage. He was awarded the Barclays Man of the Match award for his performance, despite giving away a penalty in the 93rd minute of the game, which was saved by Petr Čech.^[14]
On 1 March, Luiz scored his first goal for Chelsea, firing in a half volley to help the Blues come from behind to win 2–1 against Manchester United, at Stamford Bridge.^[15] On the 20th, he scored his second goal for the Blues, heading in from a freekick against Manchester City (2–0 home win), and again receiving the Man of the match award.^[16]

International career

David Luiz played with Brazil's under-20 at the 2007 FIFA World Cup, with the team being ousted in the round of 16.^[17]
Courtesy of his solid season at Benfica, he was first picked for the full side for a friendly against the United States on 10 August 2010, after the national team's coaching change, with Mano Menezes replacing Dunga, playing in the 2–0 away win.