Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo (born 9 May 1998), known as Douglas Luiz, is a Brazilian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

and the Brazil national team. Douglas Luiz is a product of the

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

academy; he was signed by

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

in 2017, but never played a competitive match during his time at the club, due to

work permit A work permit or work visa is the permission to take a job within a foreign country. The foreign country where someone seeks to obtain a work permit for is also known as the "country of work", as opposed to the "country of origin" where someone ho ...

difficulties, and was subsequently loaned out to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

side

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

twice. Aston Villa signed Luiz in July 2019 where he spent five seasons, ultimately helping the side qualify for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

for the first time in over 40 years in 2024; he subsequently signed for Juventus. He is an Olympic champion, winning gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football final.

Club career

Vasco da Gama

Luiz was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and joined

's youth setup in 2013, aged 14, after being approved in a number of tests held in

Itaguaí Itaguaí () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro and contains several important iron ore loading ports of the world including Ilha Guaiba. Its population was 134,819 in 2020 and its area is 273 km2. The city wa ...

. In July 2016, he was promoted to the first team by manager Jorginho due to

Marcelo Mattos Marcelo de Mattos Terra or simply Marcelo Mattos (born 10 February 1984) is a Brazilian former football defensive midfielder. He is known for his positioning, tight marking of the opposing player and the ability to bring the ball forward to ot ...

' injury. Luiz made his first team debut on 27 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for

Fellype Gabriel Fellype Gabriel de Melo e Silva or simply Fellype Gabriel (born December 6, 1985), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a attacking midfielder. He was a member of the Brazil U20 national team at 2005 FIFA World Youth Cha ...

in a 2–2 away draw against Tupi for the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B, the Série B or the Brazilian Série B to distinguish it from the Italian and the Ecuadorian Serie B), and currently officially called Brasileirão Série B ...

championship. In his first start three days later, he scored his team's only goal in a 2–1 loss at Vila Nova. Luiz remained a starter for the ''Cruz-maltino'' until the end of the year, as his side achieved promotion to

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

. In the meantime, he also extended his contract until 2019, on 26 September 2016. Luiz made his debut in the main category of

Brazilian football Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and a prominent part of the country's national identity. The Brazil national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Brazil an ...

on 14 May 2017, starting in a 4–0 away loss against

Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...

. His first goal in the division occurred on 10 June, as he netted his team's second in a 2–1 home win against

Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

Manchester City

Luiz completed a move to

on 15 July 2017, signing a five-year contract. On 1 August, he was loaned to

side

Girona FC Girona Futbol Club, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. ( ) is a Spanish professional Football team, football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, the team plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 ...

for his first season with the club. Luiz made his debut for the

Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...

on 26 August 2017, replacing Portu in a 1–0 home win against

Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol (, ''Málaga Football Club''), or simply Málaga, is a club based in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, who compete in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system, following the ...

. On 31 August 2018, Luiz was again loaned to Girona due to the UK Home Office denying him a work permit.

Aston Villa

Luiz signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

on 25 July 2019, subject to a

. His work permit was granted, and he officially became a Villa player on 7 August. On 17 August, Luiz scored his first goal for Villa against

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

in a 2–1 loss. In August 2022, Luiz scored directly from a corner in the third round of the

2022–23 EFL Cup The 2022–23 EFL Cup was the 63rd season of the EFL Cup (known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons). The competition was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. The winner of the competiti ...

against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

, and repeated the feat the following week in a

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

fixture against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. In October 2022, after rumoured transfer interest from Arsenal, following the end of the transfer window - Luiz agreed a new "long-term" contract with Aston Villa. On 23 May 2023, Luiz was voted both Supporter's Player of the Season and Player's Player of the Season at the club's end of season awards. In the 2023–24 season, he managed to record ten goals and ten assists in 53 appearances in all competitions.

Juventus

On 30 June 2024, Luiz joined

side

for a

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

50 million fee, plus €1.5 million in add-ons, signing a five-year contract with the Italian club. As part of a separate transaction,

Samuel Iling-Junior Samuel Iling-Junior (born 4 October 2003) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Winger (association football), winger or Wing back (association football), wing-back for club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa a ...

and Enzo Barrenechea joined Aston Villa on permanent deals. The transfer was in part attributed to Aston Villa's need to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which forced them to sell one of their key players. His debut for the club came in a 3–0 victory over

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

on 19 August 2024. A month later, on 17 September, he made his

debut in a 3–1 victory over

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

International career

Luiz appeared for Brazil at the youth level at the

2017 South American U-20 Championship The 2017 South American Youth Football Championship (, ) was the 28th edition of the South American Youth Football Championship, a football competition for the under-20 national teams in South America organized by CONMEBOL. It was held in Ecuador f ...

and the

2019 Toulon Tournament The 2019 Toulon Tournament (officially ) was the 47th edition of the Toulon Tournament. It was held in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône from 1 to 15 June 2019. England were the defending champions but they were eliminated in the group stage. I ...

, winning the latter. On 19 November 2019, he made his senior international debut in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, which

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

won 3–0. On 9 June 2021, Luiz was named to the Brazil squad for the

2021 Copa América The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football, football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to ...

. Brazil finished the tournament as runners-up to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. On 7 August 2021, Luiz won a gold medal as part of the Brazil football team at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Luiz was called up for

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...

matches against Colombia and Argentina on 16 and 21 November 2023, respectively. In June 2024, Luiz was called up for the 2024 Copa America.

Personal life

From 2021 to 2022, Luiz was in a relationship with

forward

Alisha Lehmann Alisha Debora Lehmann (born 21 January 1999) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and the Switzerland national team. She is the most followed woman footballer in the world on Instagram. Club car ...

while they were both with Aston Villa; they reunited in 2024.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Aston Villa *

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

runner-up: 2019–20 Brazil U23 *

Olympic Gold Medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Brazil *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

runner-up:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

Individual *

Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State Championship), also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Br ...

Team of the Year:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Best Player:

Best XI:

*Aston Villa Supporter's Player of the Season:

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

*Aston Villa Player's Player of the Season: 2022–23

References

External links

Profile
at the Juventus FC website * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas Luiz 1998 births Living people Footballers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players La Liga players Premier League players Serie A players CR Vasco da Gama players Manchester City F.C. players Girona FC players Aston Villa F.C. players Juventus FC players Brazil men's youth international footballers Brazil men's under-20 international footballers Brazil men's international footballers Olympic footballers for Brazil 2021 Copa América players Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics 2024 Copa América players Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Olympic medalists in football Olympic gold medalists for Brazil Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen