Chelsea"s David Luiz has admitted that he has fulfilled a lifelong dream as he prepares to face Monterrey in the Club World Cup.
The 25-year-old insists that the competition is one that he has always wanted to play in and win.
"When I was young I always talked about this competition, dreaming that one day I would get the chance to play in it, and now I have that opportunity.
"This competition comes at a great moment for us. Everybody knows Chelsea are a big club. We need to win trophies every year and always win the big games.
“If you’re not disappointed at going out in the group stage [of the Champions League], you don’t deserve to wear the shirt. But the other teams worked hard, Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk deserved to go through."
"For us in Brazil this is the last game of the season, like the Champions League final was for Chelsea. For the fans in Brazil all the build-up means it feels like an early Christmas present.
“It’s an opportunity for the South American teams to prove they can compete with the best in Europe. People dream a lot about this competition. I did, too."
As a youngster playing alongside Chelsea"s new signing Wallace for Vitoria, Luiz never envisaged the pair contesting the Club World Cup.
"I’d have laughed! On the PlayStation or in reality? But I always dreamed. In Brazil, if you’re born a man, you dream about playing football. I dreamed a lot; about playing for a big club, about playing for Brazil.
“I’ve been a lucky guy. I have to say thank you to God because I have a great life."
