10 things you need to know about David Luiz

By Ian Cruise in Football Spy

Published 11:20 11/10/10

Man City and Chelsea are squaring up for a January battle for Benfica defender David Luiz.

But what do we know about the Brazilian centre-back? MirrorFootball brings you the lowdown...

1) His full name is actually the whopping great mouthful, David Luiz Moreira Marinho. Altogether now... "there's only one..."

2) He was born on April 22, 1987 in Diadema, Sao Paolo. He began his professional career as a junior with Esporta Clube Vitoria, making his debut for them as a 16-year-old.

3) Luiz plays mainly as a central defender, but he can also operate at left-back. His key strengths are his speed, aerial ability and technical skills.

4) He played more than 50 times for Vitoria before leaving his native Brazil for Portugal to join Benfica, initially on loan, three months before his 20th birthday. He was signed originally as a replacement for the Tottenham-bound Ricardo Rocha.

5) The teenage sensation impressed sufficiently during his ten games on loan in the second half of the 2007-08 season to be offered a full-time deal with the Lisbon giants. He duly signed a five-year contract in the summer of 2008.

6) He was an ever-present in the Benfica side that won the Portuguese League last season, their first title success for five years. He also helped the club win their domestic League Cup with a 3-0 win over arch rivals Porto in the final.

7) Highly-rated in his homeland, he has played 24 times for Brazil's Under-20s, and just made the step-up to the first team, with his first cap coming in a friendly against the USA.

8) Luiz, who speaks only a little English, is likely to be much in demand during the transfer window. His agent says: "Everybody wants to take a step further on. Everybody likes to play in England or Spain. But we have to see the offers and who’s available to take him. A lot of people have been watching, but officially I don’t have anything from anybody. We will see what happens."

9) His versatility makes him an attractive proposition for potential suitors. And he has no problems being a jack of all trades. “I’m a central defender, and that’s the position I feel most comfortable in, but I’d play in goal or up front if I had to," he says. "I can only be grateful for having the privilege to do a job I love.”

10) Fans of The Simpsons, though, will be delighted if Luiz makes the move to the Premier League given his uncanny resemblance to Sideshow Bob. Mind you, not sure good 'ol Bob is quite as good at football. Certainly not in those huge clown shoes, anyway...