How Douglas Luiz become Aston Villa's rock star midfielder
Daily Mail Douglas Luiz listens to Brazilian singer-songwriter Mumuzinho on his way to training but he took little time at Aston Villa to establish himself as a bona fide rock star.
In a crucial relegation clash against Watford in January 2020, Luiz equalised in the second half and promptly performed a stage dive into the Holte End that would have made Iggy Pop proud.
When I dived into the crowd I actually managed to hit my back on one of the metal barriers on the way over, Luiz told Mail Sport in an interview later that year. A crazy incident, but crazy in a really good and satisfying way.
Back then, the Brazilian was finding his way as a Premier League player and it was unclear whether he would make the desired impact at this level.
Fast forward three years and he is the linchpin of Villas midfield under Unai Emery, scoring the opener in the 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday that secured a place in next seasons Europa Conference League.
It crowned a fabulous week for Luiz, who was named players and supporters player of the year at Villas end-of-season awards ceremony on May 23.
