Every footballer has a unique style to exhibit himself, but all of them surely do not catch our attention. But there are always some who make his presence felt to all and Brazil center back David Luiz surely tops that list by virtue of his distinctive style both on and off the ball.
The media personnels sitting in the World Cup stadium can see the flash pictures of the teams’ dressing room ahead of a game courtesy of the dedicated channel and one would come across inevitably with the ever-smiling face of Luiz inside Brazil’s dressing room. Even in the press conference, Luiz’s smile never ceases to vanish from his face and his cool look hardly fails to draw everyone’s attention. With an upright stance and trademark curly hair which his teammates think is weird, he is bound to catch everyone’s attention.
But in the field, his control of the ball is nothing short of amazing. During the practice sessions he juggles the ball with both feet, remains upright and combines power and gentle touch on the ball impeccably. His calm as well as confident approach to the ball and to the opponent attackers are a delight to watch during match if you are a Brazil fan.
Luiz’s superb form last season for English giant Chelsea earned him a direct entry into Brazil coach Scolari’s first XI and needless to say, he has since established himself as the mainstay of the Selacao’s defense beside Thiago Silva with whom he will play next season at PSG. However, despite being burdened with such a huge responsibility, he hardly seems fazed by it and continues his job without making any fuss.
He has inflicted a good number of vital interceptions in all the three games so far. Against Croatia, he took a shot in his chest to deny Ante Rebic while goalie Julio Caesar was on the ground. Against Cameroon, Aboubakar played an excellent through ball and David Luiz had to throw himself desperately in front of Choupo-Moting’s cross. He had an average of 4.1 clearances per game for Chelsea last season and based on his form in the World Cup so far, it would not be an exaggeration at all to say his club form has surely continued for the national team.
Luiz’s importance to Brazil’s attack is also worth a mention not only because he wins the ball back, but because he also sends a lot of long balls to the attackers which play a vital role in initiating counter attack and this quality of his makes him a priceless and indispensable tool in Brazil’s pursuit of ‘Hexa’. Therefore, it was not a surprise to see him playing a major role behind the goals Fred and Fernandinho scored against Cameroon. He himself came agonizingly close to scoring a goal with his head against Mexico. Whenever Brazil wins a corner, Luiz is inevitably there in opponent’s penalty area to maximize his team’s chances of scoring.
At the center of the defense, he is always communicating with the teammates and directing them to take the positions with the trademark smile. He also celebrated wildly after Neymar scored the equalizer against Croatia and looked shell shocked after he and Thiago Silva failed to prevent the low cross of Nyom which was eventually tapped in by Matip. The distress was evident in his face as he gave a helpless look to Silva. He is an obedient Scolari man too. Against Cameroon Scolari hurled some hot words towards him because of his ambitious overlap which could have cost Brazil. Luiz just nodded in acknowledgement of his mistake and raised his hands signaling apology.
Currently aged just 27, David Luiz is undoubtedly destined to have a great career with the Selecaos.