Former Chelsea defender David Luiz has revealed he will be happy to knock-out his former side when he comes up against them for Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow night in the Champions League last 16-tie.
Luiz left the Blues in the summer for a reported £50m after boss Jose Mourinho was happy to cash in on the Brazilian, who was only used sparingly in central defence, and balance the books for Financial Fair Play [FFP].
The central defender has since bolstered his reputation following his switch to Ligue 1 where he is a mainstay in Laurent Blanc’s side, who are finding form with them now just two points off leaders Lyon having only lost two games in the league all season.
Luiz, who was part of the Chelsea side that knocked out PSG in last season’s Champions League, says he owes a debt of gratitude to the West Londoners – but will still be giving his all to crush their dreams when he faces them.
“I don’t think so,” he told The Standard when asked if he would celebrate scoring a goal against his former team. “It’s about respect. Of course I would be happy because I would have helped my team. I’m not going to lie about that.
“But respect is respect, and I need to show that to Chelsea. It was a club that gave me many things. The fans gave me a lot and helped me a great deal so it is good to have these kinds of things in life. It’s about giving back what they gave me for many years.”
Luiz went on to say that his side will be highly motivated and are determined to lay down a marker that they can compete with the best in Europe after massive investment. “We need to win European titles,” he continued. “This will make the club more important. We have fantastic players and a fantastic coach and structure around us. But to show we’re as good as the best teams, we need to win.”
The defender also revealed he will be doing everything in his power to stop Diego Costa, who he rates as one of the very best in the world.
“The first time I played against Diego, I was at Benfica and he was playing for Braga. It was April 2007, and the game ended 0-0. He came on in the second half,” he said.
“I know Diego well and I keep in touch with him. He is a fantastic guy. I’m happy for him because now he is in the position he needs to be. He is a great person, a great player.
“Now he is one of the best strikers in the world. He plays a very physical style because he is a machine, a monster. But I enjoy the physical battle with forwards. It’s part of football, and you have different kinds of strikers.”
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