David Luiz Returns to Haunt Chelsea: A Familiar Fixture

“It’s a gift from God to be back here again,” he says. “I had the opportunity to be back in Europe again, and then God was great with me again, put Pafos in the Champions League, and now we are here playing against Chelsea.” “I have seen some familiar faces, and this kind of connection is what makes this place special.” Luiz famously scored a sucker-punch equaliser in the 85th minute for Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League last-16 tie in 2015 — running off to celebrate, painfully, in front of the Shed End. A year later he helped to knock out Chelsea again, at the same stage, with PSG, just without a goalscoring flourish. After returning to west London, he went on to join Arsenal, an £8million move that led a few fans to write negative reviews of his Mayfair restaurant, Babbo, on TripAdvisor. There may well have been a few more when he defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final of 2020 — Mikel Arteta’s first and only trophy so far as Arsenal manager. “I always had to do my job, you know?” he says with a big smile on Tuesday, sitting in the press room at Stamford Bridge. “My family has to eat, I have to pay my bills, and when you are working for something, you have to fight.” But there are fond recollections of Chelsea, the club for whom he made 248 appearances. “The best moment of my career, for sure, was the night in Munich,” he says, referencing victory in the Champions League final in 2012. “It was a special night for everybody, and I’m never going to forget it. In this stadium? I have many great memories. My first goal here against Man United was amazing. It made me understand what Chelsea is.” His first spell, when he joined the club in 2011, was a heady mix of the remarkable — such as a stunning 30-yard strike against Fulham, just one of a number of outrageous goals — and, at times, the frustrating. Gary Neville infamously, if perhaps cruelly, said of his positioning in 2011 that he looked as if he was being controlled by a ten-year-old on a PlayStation in the crowd. This was an era of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Gary Cahill, and so his risk-taking, and errors, stood out all the more. He won Chelsea’s first Champions League title in his first spell, before joining PSG for £50million. After returning to the club in 2016, he thrived under Antonio Conte at the heart of a back three, his libero instincts to drift out of the defensive line insured by the Italian’s defensive structure. He was part of the last Chelsea team to win the league. His experience, leadership and his larger-than-life character were vital. He is Pafos’s marquee name and they value how he can help the club boost their profile. They were formed only 11 years ago and were bought by the one-time Portsmouth owner Roman Dubov in 2017. Under Juan Carlos Carcedo, a former long-term assistant of Unai Emery, the club won their first silverware, the Cypriot Cup, two seasons ago. Last year, after their European debut in the Conference League, they won the Cypriot title. Previous coaches have included Steven Pressley, now in charge of Dundee, Cameron Toshack — son of the former Real Madrid and Wales coach John Toshack — as well as Míchel Salgado. Carcedo resigned last week to take over at Spartak Moscow and was replaced by Albert Celades, who spent five years as a player at Real, having graduated from Barcelona’s La Masia academy. The connection with Carcedo, who crossed paths with Luiz at Arsenal during Emery’s tenure, is what helped to bring him to Cyprus. Luiz had joined Flamengo after his time at Arsenal ended, helping them to win the Copa Libertadores, before a short-lived spell with Fortaleza. He left by mutual consent last August, after less than a year at the Brazilian club, and faced off-field legal problems that month. He was accused of threatening a Brazilian social worker with whom he was alleged to be having an affair. Luiz, who is engaged to his long-time partner, denied all the allegations and police decided not to indict him after an investigation, according to the Brazilian outlet Globo. He signed a two-year deal in Cyprus after leaving Fortaleza, and this season he has made 20 appearances, featuring in all six of the club’s Champions League fixtures. Pafos could still qualify for the next phase of the Champions League. Liam Rosenior, the Chelsea head coach who is making his Champions League debut on Wednesday, is cautious about that but is aiming to secure a top-eight finish and avoid the play-off round, which will offer him two clear weeks in February to work with his new team. “When you’re a new manager coming in, you want those training days so you can imprint a little bit more,” he said. “But the most important thing is getting through. That’s what’s important.” Chelsea v Pafos