In a video only recently gone viral on social media, David Luiz takes up the role of court jester by pranking several of his teammates on the coach.
It’s a part of the silliness and fun-loving nature of the Brazilian that has seemingly made him part of the furniture at the Emirates just a few months after joining the club in a £8m deal in the summer.
The centre-back has no doubt had a rocky spell on-the-pitch, getting run ragged by Mohamed Salah as he conceded a penalty against Liverpool, and getting sent off against former side Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
But under Mikel Arteta, he appears to be thriving as one of the side’s main leaders, and his performances have gone up a notch too.
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In the Gunners’ stand-out victory so far under their new Spanish head coach, Luiz was at the heart of the back-line that kept United’s attack quiet. As per Whoscored, he finished with a 7.19 match rating, made one tackle and interception apiece, and delivered 11 accurate long balls too – the latter stat being a season-high.
As well as his more assured displays at the back, Luiz is also seemingly playing a key role in the development of Arsenal starlet Gabriel Martinelli. The teenager arrived from Ituano last summer, and has enjoyed an astonishing start to life in north London with ten goals to his name across all competitions.
Whilst the winger himself can no doubt take most of the credit, Luiz has surely played a part in how quickly he seems to have settled in. In a video posted on the club’s official Instagram account (via Football.London), Martinelli can be seen embracing his Brazilian compatriot, before re-sharing the footage with the caption “thank you for everything big hair”.
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It’s an older-brother like mentality that Arteta has insisted he is keen to further grow and utilise. He said: “He’s a player that has won more trophies than anybody else in that dressing room. We have to use that in a very powerful way. I wanted him to step up, I wanted him to put all his qualities – his personality and his experience – towards the team and he made a big step forward. I am very, very pleased with him.”
His years of title-winning experience at the likes of PSG and Chelsea, and his jovial personality, has already made him a key part of the dressing room at Arsenal. After losing the likes of Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal last summer, Luiz has helped to fill a massive void in his own unique and inimitable way.
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