Vitória Born in
Diadema, São Paulo, to Ladislao and Regina Marinho, David Luiz arrived at
Salvador-based club
Vitória after being released by
São Paulo, and started playing as a
defensive midfielder, almost leaving the club for his poor performances in that position. However, he was soon moved to central defender and adapted well. David Luiz made his debut for Vitória in 2006, excelling in a 2–2 draw against
Santa Cruz in
that season's
Copa do Brasil. scoring his only league goal on 3 September 2006 in a 2–0 home win against
Clube Atlético do Porto.
Benfica 2007–10: Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga On 31 January 2007, David Luiz joined Portuguese club
Benfica as a replacement for
Tottenham Hotspur-bound
Ricardo Rocha, on loan. 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 centre of defence, replacing the injured
Luisão. Benfica lost the match 2–1 but
progressed to the next round after winning 4–3 on aggregate. On 12 March 2007, David Luiz played his first
league match for Benfica, against
União de Leiria. At the end of
the season, following ten league appearances, he joined permanently for a €1.5 million transfer fee Before the ensuing campaign, he scored his first goal for the club in the
Guadiana Trophy friendly tournament, against
Sporting CP. However, David Luiz only managed eight appearances in the
league due to injury as Benfica finished fourth. On 11 January 2009, David Luiz scored his first goal for Benfica, the match's only goal in a home success against
Braga. He played most of
the campaign as a
left back, at the expense of
Portuguese international Jorge Ribeiro. However, it was in the
2009–10 season, when new manager
Jorge Jesus arrived to Benfica, that David Luiz became a club symbol and vice-captain. He was ever-present, appearing in 49 matches (three goals, 4,206 minutes), as Benfica won the league after a five-year wait. In
the season's
Taça da Liga, in a 1–4 away win against Sporting CP, he opened the score in the eighth minute, with Benfica also eventually winning the competition. David Luiz won the
Portuguese Liga Player of the Year that same season with 38% of the vote while the runner-up, his teammate
Ángel Di María, received 8%. his contract was also renewed in October with a release clause of €50 million.
Chelsea 2011–12: FA Cup and Champions league victory On 31 January 2011, David Luiz completed a move to
Chelsea for a €25 million transfer fee and subsequently signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. As part of the deal, Chelsea midfielder
Nemanja Matić joined Benfica at the end of the season after his transfer spell at Dutch club
Vitesse. David Luiz made his
Premier League debut on 6 February, replacing
José Bosingwa in a 0–1 home loss against
Liverpool. Eight days later in a 0–0 draw against
Fulham at
Craven Cottage, he made his first start for Chelsea. Instantly becoming a cult hero amongst the Chelsea fans, David Luiz was awarded the Barclays
Man of the Match award for his performance, despite giving away a
penalty in the 93rd minute of the match, which was saved by
Petr Čech. On 1 March, David Luiz scored his first goal for Chelsea to help the Blues come from behind to win 2–1 against
Manchester United at
Stamford Bridge. On 20 March, he headed in his second goal for
the Blues in a 2–0 home win over
Manchester City, and again receiving the man of the match award, as well as the
Premier League Player of the Month for March. David Luiz missed the first three matches of
2011–12 season due to a knee injury. He made his return to the first team on 13 September in a
UEFA Champions League group stage match against
Bayer Leverkusen in which he scored from 15 yards to break the deadlock in an eventual 2–0 home win. In his second match, a
League Cup third round tie against Fulham, he scored his
penalty shoot-out attempt in a 4–3 win (0–0 after 120 minutes). On 5 February 2012, in a league home fixture against Manchester United, David Luiz put Chelsea ahead 3–0 in the 50th minute after his header was deflected by
Rio Ferdinand, following a
Juan Mata free kick. The match ended with a 3–3 draw. On 25 February, through a curled shot, he opened the score against
Bolton Wanderers in an eventual 3–0 at home. On 14 March, Chelsea faced
Napoli in the Champions League's
round of 16, following a 3–1 loss at the
Stadio San Paolo in
Naples. David Luiz made a stunning performance to help his team win the tie with a 4–1
extra-time win, being subsequently chosen by
UEFA as the man of the match, an accolade he also received in the first leg of the quarter-finals against former team Benfica in a 0–1 away win. However, after leaving the pitch in the
FA Cup semi-final against
rivals Tottenham with a muscular injury, it was announced that he would miss both of the Champions League semi-finals encounters against
Barcelona and the
domestic cup final. He played, however, in the
Champions League final –
John Terry was also suspended for the match – David Luiz appeared, and started for Chelsea, playing the full 120 minutes, along with converting his penalty shootout attempt as the Blues won the shootout 4–3.
2012–14: Europa league victory On 22 September 2012, David Luiz signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea. He started
the new season again as a regular alongside either
Gary Cahill or Terry, and scored his first goal from a free-kick against
Nordsjælland in a 0–4 away win in
the campaign's Champions League. In the
Club World Cup in
2012, in which Chelsea lost in the final to
Corinthians, he was chosen the second best player of the tournament, receiving the
Silver Ball for his performances, one of which was as a defensive midfielder. He played in that position in an 8–0 home thrashing of
Aston Villa the following week, being chosen man of the Match and netting the second from a free-kick. On 17 April 2013, David Luiz scored during a 3–0
West London derby victory against Fulham. He also scored in both legs of the
Europa League semi-finals against
Basel; the first was a last minute, low free-kick curled around the wall and into the goalkeeper's bottom left-hand corner to secure a dramatic 2–1 away win, giving Chelsea an advantage going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge. David Luiz was widely criticised for a controversial incident during Chelsea's 0–1 away win over Manchester United at
Old Trafford on 5 May. After he elbowed opponent
Rafael, the United defender kicked out at him and was sent off. David Luiz, however, was seen smiling while lying on the ground before writhing around in mock agony. David Luiz defended himself, saying he was smiling at the Manchester United fans who could be seen screaming insults and laughing at him.
Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 On 13 June 2014, David Luiz transferred to French club Paris Saint-Germain for a £50 million transfer fee, signing a five-year contract. On 30 September, David Luiz scored his first PSG goal, opening a 3–2 home win over Barcelona in the Champions League group stage. He was seen as a surprise inclusion in the
FIFA World Team of the Year at the
2014 Ballon d'Or awards. On 19 January 2015, David Luiz scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 4–2 defeat of
Evian. On 11 March, he scored on his return to Stamford Bridge in the
round of 16 of the Champions League as PSG drew 2–2 with his former club Chelsea to knock out the English club on
away goals. He apologised for celebrating the goal, saying that it was the result of sudden emotion rather than malice towards his former employers. In David Luiz's first season at the club, PSG won a domestic treble of the
Ligue 1 championship, the
Coupe de France and the
Coupe de la Ligue, in addition to the
Trophée des Champions. In his second season at the club, PSG repeated this accomplishment once again, after beating
Marseille in the
Coupe de France final.
Return to Chelsea trophy after winning the
final with
Chelsea David Luiz returned to Chelsea from PSG, for a reported fee of £34 million, in August 2016 and signed a three-year deal. His first game back with the club was a 2–1 defeat at home to Liverpool on 16 September. On 31 January 2017 he scored his first goal for the season from a free kick against Liverpool at
Anfield, his first Premier League goal since April 2013. At the end of the season, David Luiz was named in the
PFA Team of the Year for
2016–17. David Luiz was selected for Chelsea's first match of the
2017–18 Premier League season, against
Burnley on 12 August 2017, and scored late on in their 3–2 defeat. On 17 September 2017, Luiz received a straight red after a poor challenge on
Sead Kolašinac during a 0–0 draw against
Arsenal. Luiz became the third player to be sent-off in the last three meetings between the two
rivals from London; with the others being
Pedro during the
FA Community Shield and
Victor Moses during the
FA Cup Final. Chelsea went on to win the
2017-18 FA Cup but David Luiz was injured and missed the
final. David Luiz scored his first goal of the
2018–19 Premier League, heading in the second goal in Chelsea's 2–0 home win over the previously undefeated Manchester City on 8 December. He hit the winning penalty in a 4–2 shootout win in the
EFL Cup semi-final second leg at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 24 January 2019.
Arsenal 2019–20 season On 8 August 2019, Arsenal signed David Luiz from Chelsea for a reported £8 million transfer fee. He received the number 23 shirt for the club. On 6 October 2019, he scored the match's winning goal, his first for Arsenal, in a 1–0 victory against
AFC Bournemouth. In a 2–2 home draw against
Crystal Palace, he scored his second Arsenal goal. In a match against former club Chelsea in January 2020, he was sent-off after conceding a penalty. While Arsenal eventually drew the match, David Luiz received a three-match suspension from domestic play. He made his return in a Premier League match against
Everton, during which he recorded his first assist for Arsenal. Following the suspension of football due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, David Luiz was named on the bench in a match at the
Etihad Stadium against Manchester City. However, an injury to
Pablo Marí saw him enter play just 24 minutes in. He then committed an error leading to City's first goal before he conceded a penalty and was sent-off early in the second half. In so doing, he became the first player to receive a red card (making him the player with the most red cards this season), concede a penalty and commit an error leading to goal in a Premier League match for five years. In Arsenal's final match of the season, David Luiz gave away a penalty against
Watford; this was the fifth penalty he had conceded that season, setting a Premier League record for most penalties conceded by a single player in a single season. On 1 August 2020, David Luiz was selected to start in the
FA Cup Final against his former club Chelsea, as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup.
2020–21 season On 29 August 2020, David Luiz started the game and scored the fourth penalty in a
shootout win against
Liverpool in the
2020 FA Community Shield after the game ended 1–1. On 29 November 2020, he was a part of a severe head collision with
Raúl Jiménez at the
Emirates Stadium in which Jiménez was knocked out. Jiménez was sent to a London hospital and received surgery for his
fractured skull, whilst David Luiz was only bandaged on the head due to a cut on his forehead. He was surprisingly allowed to play on after the incident but was subbed off at half time. He was last seen bleeding through his bandage before the half time whistle, which led to a spark of protests from both footballers and fans, demanding a 'free substitution' for those who are concussed on the pitch. On 28 February 2021, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season in a 3–1 away win against
Leicester City. On 6 March, he made his 50th league appearance for Arsenal in a 1–1 draw against
Burnley. It was confirmed on 18 May by manager
Mikel Arteta that David Luiz would leave the club at the end of his contract in June 2021.
Flamengo On 11 September 2021, David Luiz signed a 15-month contract with
Flamengo, making his return to Brazil after spending nearly 15 years playing club football in Europe. He was part of the Flamengo squad that competed in the
2021 Copa Libertadores Final on 27 November, playing the full 120 minutes as his team lost 2–1 to
Palmeiras after extra time. On 29 October 2022, he played in the
2022 Copa Libertadores Final against
Athletico Paranaense, which ended in a 1–0 victory; hence, he became the twelfth player to win both the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores. On 13 May 2023, David Luiz scored his first goal for Flamengo. In the sixth round of the
Campeonato Brasileiro, against
Esporte Clube Bahia, David Luiz hit a header to goalkeeper
Marcos Felipe. Despite scoring the first goal, David Luiz did not celebrate. After the game, he explained why he didn't celebrate: On 22 December 2024, Flamengo confirmed that Luiz would not have his contract renewed and would subsequently leave the club. David Luiz left Rubro-Negro after 132 games for the club: 75 wins, 28 draws and 29 losses. The defender scored four goals and provided two assists. In addition, he won a Libertadores, two Copa do Brasil and a Carioca.
Fortaleza On 20 January 2025,
Fortaleza announced the signing of David Luiz on a free transfer until 31 December 2026, with the option of an additional year's extension. On 11 February, he made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to
Altos in the
Copa do Nordeste. He left the club by mutual consent on 1 August, having made 17 appearances in a six-month spell.
Pafos On 3 August 2025,
Cypriot First Division club
Pafos announced the signing of Luiz on a contract until the summer of 2027, returning to European football after nearly four years. On 13 September, Luiz made his league debut for Pafos in a 1–0 loss against
Apollon. He would score his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win against
Ethnikos Achna on 17 October 2025. On November 26, he would also score in the UEFA Champions League against AS Monaco, his first goal in that competition since 2017 with Chelsea. ==International career==