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David Luiz has completed a return to European football by signing for Cypriot side Pafos FC. The Brazilian defender is well known for his stints at Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as Paris Saint-Germain. Luiz left England in 2021 to sign for Brazilian side Flamengo before he joined Fortaleza Esporte Clube at the beginning of 2025. However, the centre-back spent only seven months at the club and left by mutual consent at the beginning of August. Just two days later, Pafos have announced the shock signing of the 38-year-old on a contract running until 2027. "This landmark transfer marks the most historic moment in Cypriot football — the arrival of a global superstar whose name has echoed in the world’s greatest stadiums, " a club statement read. Pafos added: "David Luiz Moreira Marinho is a true titan of modern football. "For over 15 years, he has competed at the pinnacle of the sport, earning admiration around the globe for his commanding presence, technical brilliance, and unmistakable charisma. "Throughout his illustrious career, he has left a lasting legacy at every club he has represented. " Pafos compete in the Cypriot First Division, the country's top flight. They finished top at the end of the regular 2024/25 season and then won the Championship round. This secured qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round, where they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-1 over two legs. Next up are FC Dynamo Kyiv, where another victory would send them into the play-off round before the league phase. New signing Luiz began his career at Vitoria in his homeland before moving to Benfica in 2007, where he made 131 appearances. He later signed for Chelsea in January 2011 and went on to be part of the club's first ever Champions League triumph the following season. Luiz also won the Europa League and the FA Cup with the Blues. At PSG, he won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophee des Champions two times each. After two seasons in the French capital, Luiz returned to Chelsea and won his first Premier League title. Another Europa League and second FA Cup honour would follow as he reached a total of 248 club appearances over two spells. Luiz left in 2019 for London rivals Arsenal, with whom he won his third FA Cup. However, he was left shocked by the lack of ambition at the Gunners having had so much success at Chelsea. "A lot, because I went there - it was my decision, " he told talk SPORT in 2023 when asked what Arsenal means to him. "A club which had a lot of potential, but it was missing a lot of hunger to win titles. "I remember my first meeting with the players and with everybody, we were talking about our goals for the season - nobody was talking about winning the Premier League. "I said, 'Stop! We are just at the beginning of the season, the first thing is you need to have ambition, you need to think about the title! ' "And then after that, it was the top four. After one year I started to understand, a club that was not used to winning for a long time, so they started to not believe a lot. "And then came Mikel Arteta, and Arteta changed a lot of things in the club and he started to make everybody believe the process. "The club got the right mentality again as they had under Arsene Wenger, they got it in a good way. "And now I'm happy because I see many young players that I was trying to help in the beginning, to believe that at the start of your career, you have to win big things. "I'm happy for them because they are now thinking in this way - at the end of the day it was a great moment in my career. " Luiz left Arsenal in 2021 and returned to Brazil with Flamengo. He helped deliver Copa Libertadores and Campeonato Carioca success alongside two Copa do Brasil titles. A short stint with Fortaleza began in January, with Pafos the eighth club of his career. Away from domestic football, Luiz earned 57 caps with the Brazil national team and won the 2013 Confederations Cup. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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