Chelsea defender David Luiz has revealed his delight at the support he got from Brazil’s fans during the Confederations Cup.
The 26-year-old played a crucial role for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side as they won all five games at the World Cup warm-up tournament and lifted the trophy at the Maracanã.
Luiz is well known for his warrior-like attitude on the pitch and he suffered a number of injuries last month, including a broken nose after colliding with Thiago Silva against Mexico, but carried on regardless.
Qualities such as those have gone a long way to winning over the Brazil supporters, who chanted his name in unison after the thrilling final against Spain and sent messages of support during his recovery from nasal surgery recently.
“It was exciting, no doubt about it,” he told FIFA.com after the final was all over.
“This is what it’s all about. I just try and do the impossible on the pitch to make these fans happy. We all knew we had a great opportunity here in this tournament.
“It’s been a real privilege for me to have the whole stadium chanting my name, especially with them being my people. It was a wonderful, unforgettable moment.”
The Blues defender, who is being linked with moves to Barcelona and PSG this summer, denied Spain’s Pedro with a fantastic goal-line clearance during the final, after the winger had slipped the ball past Júlio César.
And David Luiz says he was glad to repay the QPR goalkeeper for saving Diego Forlan’s penalty in the semi-final against Uruguay, which the defender conceded for a foul on Diego Lugano.
He added: “I was able to repay Júlio César for what he did for me.
“I helped the team out with a good clearance on the line, which came at a very important time too. If they’d scored then, it really would have lifted them.”
