DAVID LUIZ TALKS ABOUT BEING A KIND OF MENTOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

David Luiz is one of the main leaders of the Flamengo squad. The oldest player on the team and on the rise again on the field, the 37-year-old defender is still a technical reference for his teammates. But his main impact as a leader is his role as a mentor to younger players, which he says he sees as a responsibility after the career he built until he “lived his dream” at Mengão.

“Not a psychologist, I feel like I have a duty to pass on some of my experiences and opportunities that I had to experience great things in football and continue living at Flamengo. I already mentioned that Flamengo is one of the best pages of my life. And trying to direct them towards the path that I know will work is what I try to do. And I like doing it. I like living this dream and helping them achieve it too”, said David in an interview with “ge”.

Recently, midfielder Igor Jesus stated that the defender is one of the players who gives him the most advice on how to improve . There are many reports about conversations and advice for younger athletes, some other examples are: Lorran, Lázaro and João Gomes.

But not only young people receive attention from “captain” David Luiz. Rodinei is an emblematic case, as the defender influenced him to adopt professional habits and helped him reach the peak of his career at the age of 30. For those who are still at the club, the day-to-day lesson is about free kicks, an issue that stood out in their career.

“I learned from many during my career and what I try to convey there is something I learned in the past and I try to encourage them to put their talent out there. Many times what players lack are incentives to experience different things”, he commented.

Léo Pereira was one of those who was inspired and scored his first free kick as a professional in a match against Madureira, in March. He dedicated the goal to learning from his teammate. David jokes that, despite his success in training, he wasn't able to put it into practice in games.

“I'm the one who scores the most free kicks in training, but only in training. It's not coming out in the game. Sorry, Nation (laughs).”

The experienced defender went through troubled times at the club, especially in 2023. Suffering with minor injuries and poor performance on the field, he became the target of criticism from the fans and the option for automatic renewal in his contract generated revolt among many red and black people at the time.

When asked if the decision was influenced by the arrival of Tite, the defender guarantees that he extended his contract due to his desire to remain at a club the size of Flamengo. He continues to praise Tite and the commission, but suggests that he would remain independent of the chosen coach.

“Not just Tite, I think Flamengo's greatness already allows you to dream of always being part of this great club . Without a doubt, having trained professionals, like Tite, helps us make our decisions easier.”

Starting in the games against Millonarios and Vasco, David was highly praised for his performances and even managed to score a goal. Shirt 23 scored his first goal at Maracanã for Flamengo in a rout over their rival.

Now, with a defined role in Tite's team and control of minutes, there is speculation that the defender could renew with the club until the 2025 Club Super World Cup, which ends in July.