David Luiz

When Chelsea signed David Luiz, some were a little sceptical in regards of his quality, due to his youth (23 years old) and lack of experience in a major championship such as the Premier League. A lot of supporters might even have wondered if Luiz was indeed worth the 23.1 million pounds Chelsea paid for him during the winter market. Since he was relatively unknown for most of the English fans, I honestly couldn’t blame them… but obviously, being a Benfica supporter myself, I had a great insight that allowed me to be clear on the thought that they were bringing a top defender into the club!

It certainly didn’t take that much time for the central defender to clear all remaining doubts! With only a few games played since arriving to England, it seems like he has competed here forever, demonstrating a huge showcase of qualities on both ends of the pitch.

As a defender he showed superb tackling, speed, excellent spring heeled, magnificent heading abilities, an improving sense of positioning and great working attitude

In terms of what he has to offer on a more offensive side… there’s a list of things that, in my humble opinion, amaze me. Good passing, good dribbling and a great sense of opportunity in finishing areas.

There are also aspects of his personality that contribute a lot to his game. Charisma and a professional attitude… On top of that, he’s not afraid to step in as a leader and copes well with pressure (something that we were able to see in matches such as the one against Manchester United or City).

Only his shooting skills remain as a weaker side, but if you think about it, that shouldn’t even be a concern to a defensive player… but I would reckon that’s something he intends to improve during the next few years!

He is seriously becoming an all around player… which is something very uncommon for a defender, especially a centre! He adds that Brazilian samba to his natural flair, mixed with the European elegance.

Allied to his natural born gift as a player, he was also fortunate to play alongside with Luisao, his partner in the Benfica squad! Luisao, a Brazilian international himself, was an excellent role model in every sense, providing him his experience and support.

Add to the equation a manager like Jorge Jesus, man with great knowledge on football, and you can tell why David Luiz has improved so much from one year to another!

Of course he has his flaws, as would any other player (specially being as young as he is), but those can be easily overcomed through out the years.

Just imagine!

With his amazing potential and being almost guaranteed that from now on, in his career he will only deal with top players and managers (assuming that all goes accordingly), you could possibly have the best defender of all time!

Might seem a bit exaggerated, I’ll give you that… and being fully aware that I’ve missed out some of the best years in football history (not being able to watch some of the great ones such as Beckenbauer, Baresi, Passarella or Bobby Moore), in my few years as a football fan, never have I seen someone with such abilities or prominence.

I assure you…

… The best is yet to come!