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David Luiz relishing Flamengo-Chelsea showdown
- David Luiz won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2012
- He won the 2022 CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores with Flamengo
- The centre-back told FIFA that he expects a tight contest between his former clubs
A decade separates David Luiz’s continental titles with Chelsea FC and CR Flamengo, but both mean just as much to him. He won’t be drawn on where his allegiance lies, but the defender expects a great game when Chelsea FC and CR Flamengo go head-to-head at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ on Friday.
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The defender, currently playing for Brazilian side Fortaleza, told FIFA he expects the Group D affair to be an enticing spectacle.
“I think it’s going to be a great game”, he said. “Chelsea have been on an upward curve, with new ideas, new players – they’re a new side. The club was under a different owner when I was there, and a lot has changed since. There’s a new chairman, long contracts for young players, a lot of changes have been made to try and grow the team over the past few years, and we’re seeing the results!”
While Chelsea’s youthful approach has been made with long-term success in mind, things move a lot faster at Flamengo. It’s something that David Luiz saw first-hand in his three seasons with the Rubro-negro.
“Flamengo are a team who win things, and there are a lot of changes year on year,” said David Luiz. “That’s not a surprise as they are always hungry for more. When you win, you’re on cloud nine, but when you lose, it’s hell.
“They are in very capable hands with Filipe Luis, who was a great team-mate of mine and is a brilliant coach, and he has a strong squad at his disposal. I think that squad over the last couple of years has been the best we’ve seen at Flamengo. I think it’s going to be a very, very special match.”
David Luiz helped Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League in 2012, and ten years later, in his second season in Rio de Janeiro, he won the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores with Flamengo. They will not be the only clubs David Luiz follows throughout the tournament, though, as he also played for fellow Club World Cup participants Paris Saint-Germain and SL Benfica before returning to Brazil.
Unsurprisingly, he is sitting on the fence when it comes to his former clubs at this tournament, but he does hope that one of the four is able to return home with the coveted trophy.
“Don’t even try it!” he said, laughing, when asked which of the clubs he wants to win the tournament.
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“I was very happy at all four of those clubs, I won titles with all of them and have a great relationship with them. I wish them all the best for the Club World Cup and hopefully one of them will be able to go all the way.”
David Luiz, who spoke to FIFA before the tournament began, suspected even then that the European favourites might be tested more than people might expect.
From the matches seen so far, the margins have indeed been very tight. In the first round of fixtures, Real Madrid C.F. drew with Al Hilal, while European giants Borussia Dortmund, FC Porto and Benfica were held to hard-fought draws by their South American counterparts.
“I remember the last World Cup so clearly, when Morocco showed that everyone puts in a lot of work and is really committed to studying the modern game, analysing all the small details in a way that never used to happen”, he said.
“Players have to be able to adapt now, they have to study the game. It only used to be coaches who analysed the game. Now you have analysts for that, to break things down in countless ways, to give you something more tangible to work with, so that you can prepare the players in an interesting way and they can absorb that information,” added David Luiz.
“This is an opportunity for schools of football from all over the world to showcase something with the whole world watching. I think we’ll see a lot of surprises at this Club World Cup.”
