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Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Former Chelsea and Arsenal cult hero announces shock move to Cypriot champions after leaving Brazilian side
The champions of Cyprus have announced the surprise signing of a Premier League cult hero. The 38-year-old is best remembered for his time at Chelsea but also went on to spend two seasons with their London rivals Arsenal. David Luiz spent nine seasons in the Premier League in total before leaving for his native Brazil in 2021. He spent the second half of last season with Fortaleza but became a free agent on August 1, leaving the club by mutual consent. And his next move has been confirmed just days later with Pafos confirming that he has joined them on a two-year deal. A club statement read: 'Pafos FC is proud to announce the signing of Brazilian football icon David Luiz, who joins the club on a contract 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. 'From the sacred pitches of Brazil to the brightest stages of Europe, David Luiz's career is a journey of passion, character, and excellence. '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. 'And now, he brings his unmatched experience, charisma, and warrior spirit to the land of myths, to write a new chapter with Pafos FC. Luiz re-joined boyhood club Flamengo in 2021 after his contract at Arsenal expired - and he went on to enjoy success in South America. He made 132 matches for the side in his second spell and helped them win the Copa Libertadores, the Copa do Brasil twice and the Campeonato Carioca. At club level, Luiz has a CV to envy with a host of trophy wins to boast - including the Champions League, the Europa League, the Premier League title and the FA Cup - plus a clean sweep of silverware in France. He made his name with Chelsea - signing from Benfica in 2010 - and going on to make 143 appearances, before joining PSG for two seasons.
Daily Record
37 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin was playing to Rangers gallery as Brendan Rodgers works Celtic notice
The Record Sport team debate all the big issues after the opening weekend of the new Scottish Premiership season Was Russell Martin right to rip into his Rangers squad at Fir Park? KEITH JACKSON: Let's be honest, it all felt a bit manufactured, almost as if Martin was playing to the gallery. He's going to have to get his system and selections right before the Rangers fans can really get behind him. SCOTT MCDERMOTT: Yes. Because at the very least it will buy him a bit more time with the Ibrox punters who are fed up with managers making excuses for this group of players. Whether it will make a blind bit of difference remains to be seen. SCOTT BURNS: Definitely. You have to set standards from the off and Rangers were lucky to even get a point at Motherwell. Results and performances like these have happened too often at Rangers and have been major factors in why they have trailed Celtic. MICHAEL GANNON: He was entitled to slap down an early marker and he wasn't wrong on a lot of points. It was still a gamble though, especially when the midfield set up looked so suspect. Should Gers fans expect their side to get past Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League qualifier? KEITH JACKSON: They can't be sure what to expect from this side but they do have every right to think a place in the next round is absolutely achievable. Failure to get there will not go down well. SCOTT MCDERMOTT: They should expect it but that's not to say it will happen. Plzen are a side Rangers should be beating, which would give themselves a real crack at the Champions League. But the display at Fir Park doesn't bode well for Tuesday night. SCOTT BURNS: If Rangers don't progress it would be a major blow. I was out with Hearts against Viktoria Plzen last season and Hearts should have beat them. If they don't progress then major question marks need to be asked. MICHAEL GANNON: It's too early to expect anything from Rangers right now. Plzen have been written off but they have tested plenty of decent teams in recent year and are capable of doing damage. Is it now inevitable Brendan Rodgers will leave Celtic at the end of the season? KEITH JACKSON: That all depends on what happens between now and the end of the transfer window. Rodgers has effectively put a gun to the head of Dermot Desmond and the board. It's now all about the nature of their response. SCOTT MCDERMOTT: Not inevitable but your gut reaction - after his comments last week about the board matching his ambition - certainly makes you think he's working his notice before leaving next summer. Which is what many of us expected to happen. SCOTT BURNS: The ball is in the hands of the Celtic board. If they back him then there is a chance he will stay. If they don't then it looks like his second coming will soon be coming to an end. It certainly looks like it will be the latter unless the club significantly ups its transfer activity. MICHAEL GANNON: There might actually be more chance of him staying now than before. Rodgers has told the board what it will take to convince him to stick around longer and it's now fully over to them. Can Hibs and Dundee United keep their Euro dreams alive? KEITH JACKSON: Hibs were unlucky not to get past Midtjylland last week but will have enough to take care of their Serbian opponents this time around. It looks like a much tougher assignment for United to get the better of Rapid Vienna. Unfortunately this feels like the end of the European road. SCOTT MCDERMOTT: It would be brilliant if they could but both have really tough ties. Can Hibs recover after that late kick in the teeth against FC Midtjylland? And are United really good enough to beat Rapid Vienna? It's difficult to see either side going through. SCOTT BURNS: It is going to be difficult because it is so early in the season and they are playing sides who are used to playing in Europe. These are games where our clubs need to start putting down markers and winning ties like this rather than putting out a plucky fight and bowing out. Hopefully, one if not both can progress. MICHAEL GANNON: They both have pretty tough ties. It's hard to see them getting through but it is about time Scottish teams caused upsets in Europe rather than being on the end of them. The key is staying in the ties for the second legs.
Daily Record
37 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers reinvention under Russell Martin throws up major question over this ideological journey
Our man takes a closer look at events from Fir Park and where it leaves the new Ibrox boss going forward Time and patience. There's no question that's what Russell Martin needs most of all as he settles into his role of reinventing Rangers. And those of us who have warned as much repeatedly over the last couple of months since his appointment could stand accused of hypocrisy for questioning Martin's methods and beliefs just three games into this, his first season at the helm. And yet here we are, regardless. Because, while time and patience will undoubtedly be required if Martin is to take the Ibrox club on this ideological journey the most fundamental question is, are they really sure they want to go there? Because sometimes reaching the final destination frankly isn't worth all of the effort it entails. And the early indicators suggest Martin's promised land might be quite some distance away from what it was made to look like in the brochure. Of course, it's way too soon to reach any firm or damning conclusions but, it must be said, the early evidence is inconclusive at best. When Rangers somehow made it through two legs of a Champions League pummelling from Panathinaikos an assortment of fan boys and happy clappers rushed to the defence of the manager while ignoring what they had just witnessed with their own eyes. The truth is Martin's side was an incomprehensible mess in both of these games against the Greeks and exactly how these players managed to get through the double header clutching onto a 3-1 aggregate victory almost defied any sort of sound logic. Yes, granted the end result is ultimately all that really matters and Martin certainly earned himself a bit of badly needed breathing space by leading his team into the next round, where they will face Czech opposition in Viktoria Plzen. But they will go into Tuesday's first leg on the back of a woefully timid opening day performance at Motherwell which has further undermined whatever confidence this club's supporters may have set aside for Martin and his big vision. Worse still, by very deliberately taking a machine gun to his own players in the immediate aftermath of Saturday evening's 1-1 draw at Fir Park, Martin has effectively left a blood bath inside his own dressing room. He may have blamed the dropping of two league points at Fir Park on the attitude and professionalism of his players - in the hope that will have played well to a receptive audience - but the manager has a deeper responsibility to assess his own contribution. Perhaps even to re-examine the merits and key planks of the philosophy which he is attempting to lay down. And that's where the really difficult questions begin. Because, albeit at this early stage in his first season, it's already far from certain that Martin's grand plan for the way he wants Rangers to look and function is actually going to cut it. Way too risky in areas of the pitch where safety ought to come first. Not remotely brave enough in the places where taking chances and providing creativity is an absolute must. He describes it as a 'possession based' approach and this tactical overhaul has sparked comparisons with the transformative work carried out by Ange Postecoglou on the other side of the city. But Angeball, by its very nature, was brazenly front footed and openly aggressive. Martin's signature style appears to be something very different. Possession without any kind of proper purpose makes for a pointless, excruciating exercise. And that's precisely what Rangers deserved to be after 90 painfully lacklustre minutes in Lanarkshire. That they escaped and got out of town without suffering defeat was nothing whatsoever to do with Martin's decision making. On the contrary, he looked every bit as bedraggled and confused on the sidelines as his players did out there on a perfect, pristine playing surface. Martin's scathing, lacerating assessment of the performance also provided more questions than answers. If, for example, he truly believes that Cyriel Dessers is some shining light and the most honest, diligent performer inside his own camp then why for the love of God has the Nigerian international been demoted for the first three games of the season? Why throw lovebombs at the guy and yet leave him sitting on your bench? Why start him in a pre-season bounce game against Middlesbrough if his fitness is an ongoing concern? What exactly does Martin see in Danilo that makes the Brazilian a better bet to lead the Rangers attack? And, if he has such intolerance for players who do nothing much more than go through the motions at their own pace and in their own time, then why has Kieran Dowell emerged from nowhere to become a regular first pick? More to the point, why did the Scouser stay on the pitch for the entirety of Saturday's game despite failing so feebly in his defensive duties, allowing Emmanuel Longelo to get back to his feet and then pick his spot in the back of Jack Butland's net for Motherwell's equaliser? If the boss was prepared to give Dowell the benefit of the doubt then why was the same exception not made to the likes of Nico Raskin and Mohammed Diomande, both of whom were hauled off in the second half? Could it be that Martin was referring to one or both of this midfield duo when he talked afterwards about the need for some of his players to 'drop their egos'? Raskin is certainly an outspoken character behind the scenes and it's entirely possible that the Belgian international feels undervalued by his own manager after being removed from his central position in the middle of the pitch and told to operate instead closer to the left flank. In the first leg against Panathinaikos Raskin was repeatedly making way so that Max Aarons could drift inside into more central areas of the pitch but the full-back looked unsure of what he was being asked to do with the ball whenever it was at his feet. That Aarons was noticeably less inverted in the second leg in Athens and once again at the weekend, suggests some sort of fuzzy uncertainty as to what the manager is actually expecting from him. And, although being deployed out of position on the left hand side, the Bournemouth man isn't helping himself by passing it back the way as some kind of default rather than instinctively attempting to find a way of pushing forward. The Englishman has even been given the No.3 shirt off Ridvan Yilmaz's back which, in retrospect, was very possibly a sign that Martin intends on persevering with him in this position for the foreseeable. Again, with Jefte and Yilmaz so out of favour that they are left back in the dressing room only, it's Martin's judgement which must shift back into central focus. Yes, time and patience will be required along the way. But first and foremost the man at the wheel will have to prove he's driving Rangers in the right direction if he wants everyone else to get on board.
