EXCLUSIVEDOUGLAS LUIZ shops in Tesco with his superstar girlfriend Alisha Lehmann. 支援する home he's seen people stabbed and 発射: His 残酷に honest interview

• e-mail

Douglas?Luiz still remembers the day he didn’t get to training on time, the day when his father’s car was needed for something more 緊急の.

‘I was about to go training with my Brazilian club Vasco de Gama but someone in the favela had been 発射 in the 長，率いる,’ Luiz tells Mail Sport in a very 事柄 of fact way.

‘They brought him to my father’s car. It was 8am. I had to get out of the car as my dad had to take him to the hospital. At least he 生き残るd. Some things are more important than football eh?’

Luiz, the Aston 郊外住宅 midfielder, knows the meaning of that last 声明 井戸／弁護士席. The 25-year-old was born and raised in a two-room house in Rio de Janeiro’s Nova Holanda favela in the north of the city.

It is part of a favela コンビナート／複合体 that is home to 130,000 people. The life he lives now, a life of 慰安 and 安全 in the 首相 League, is very different but that does not mean he has forgotten.

Douglas Luiz is starring for Aston 郊外住宅 in their 追跡 of 支持する／優勝者s League 資格

Luiz spoke to Mail Sport about his 旅行 from the favelas to the 最高の，を越す of the 首相 League

The life Luiz lives now is very different, but that does not mean he has forgotten his roots

Luiz is in a 関係 with superstar partner Alisha Lehmann, but they have a normal life

‘I have many friends from the favela and many of them are going the bad way,’ Luiz explains. ‘I am not happy about that but it’s so difficult. People just don’t have 適切な時期s. You need to eat. 料金d your family. You may have a baby. You have to do something.

‘But everything is harder for us. If we go for a 職業 in, say, a supermarket but we come from a favela, we don’t get the 職業. It’s so wrong but it’s true.

‘I have seen everything in my life. I have seen people stabbed in 前線 of me. I have seen people 発射. Many bad things. But the good thing is that those communities are strong. If you don’t have food, the community will help. That’s a good part of it.’

Luiz is one of many Brazilian footballers supporting the work of Sao Paulo entrepreneur Edu Lyra as he looks to 改善する the 条件s of the millions of Brazilian still living in slum 条件s in the favelas.

The number of favelas in Brazil 二塁打d between 2010 and 2019 and they are 現在／一般に thought to be home to more than 14million people. Edu Lyra’s Gerando Falcoes (Raising Falcons) 率先 doesn’t 目的（とする） to rid Brazil of the favelas but instead help to 解除する their inhabitants out of poverty by teaching them life 技術s and working with 地元の 行動主義者s and support groups.

On Monday, Luiz and other Brazilian footballers such as Willian and his Fulham team-mate Andreas Pereira will …に出席する a 基金-raising dinner at London’s Savoy Hotel.

‘It’s so special to help with this,’ 追加するs Luiz. ‘What the Falcons do is amazing. They give people in the favela an 適切な時期.

‘I didn’t hate my life there. It’s where I learned football. When I was a professional at Vasco I still loved that pitch so much that I played for my brother’s team. I made him 支持する／優勝者! I would finish my traini ng and run to the favela to play for his team. My family still own that house there. We rent it out now.

‘My first 支払う／賃金 cheque in Europe, I gave it to my mum and told her to buy herself an apartment and enjoy her life. Because she gave everything to me. But that doesn’t mean we forget where we （機の）カム from. No, we never forget.’

と一緒に fellow Brazilian footballers such as Willian and his Fulham team-mate Andreas Pereira, Luiz is?supporting the work of Sao Paulo entrepreneur Edu Lyra as he looks to 改善する the 条件s of the millions of Brazilian still living in slum 条件s in the favelas

Luiz heaped 賞賛する on 郊外住宅 boss Unai Emery for 完全に transforming the club's fortunes

This week at Aston 郊外住宅’s training ground, 経営者／支配人 Unai Emery gathered his players together and reminded them of something he had told them at the start of the season.

‘At the start the coach said he 手配中の，お尋ね者 to be in Europe but he told us the truth about the big teams at the 最高の，を越す and how powerful they are,’ Luiz said.

‘He said he 手配中の，お尋ね者 to fight with one team in particular and that team was Tottenham. He 現実に reminded us of it this morning. He said: “I t old you it would be Tottenham didn’t I?” He’s smart. He knows our level.’

郊外住宅’s levels are perhaps higher than anybody would have 推定する／予想するd when Emery 取って代わるd Steven Gerrard in October 2022.

They have been on an 上向き trajectory ever since and ahead of today’s game at 兵器庫, 郊外住宅 are in fourth place. Tottenham fell behind them on goal difference after yesterday’s 4-0 敗北・負かす at Newcastle, though after today the London club will have a game in 手渡す in the fight for the final 支持する／優勝者s League position.

Luiz, an elegant and busy central midfield player, has been at the heart of 郊外住宅’s resurgence. He was the club’s Player of the Year last season and 類似して 影響力のある this time 一連の会議、交渉／完成する.

‘He has changed everything,’ Luiz says of Emery. ‘Before him we played long ball, more straight. Now he has come and he tells us to stay on the ball and take time. If the 対立 don’t 圧力（をかける）, don’t pass. If they 圧力（をかける） then, 承認する, pass to one 味方する or the other.

‘But he tells us to enjoy having the ball. Before it was hard. I am not about physicality very much. I like to stay on the ball and now I can do that. When he （機の）カム here he 手配中の，お尋ね者 to work out our best positions straight away. I have always played at six ― a more 防御の player ― but he （機の）カム and straight away said: “Douglas, you are not a six. With me you are an eight. You are a good player. You can do box to box. Go and attack”.

‘I walked out of that 会合 with a big smile.’

Luiz has worked with good coaches before. Pep Guardiola was one. Luiz’s first experience of English football was 現実に as an 18-year-old, 調印するd from Vasco by Manchester City but 最終的に unable to play because of work 許す problems.

Luiz spoke to Mail Sport in his living room と一緒に his two brothers, Daniel and Devison

Luiz 主張するd a pre-season spent with Pep Guardiola's Man City was the best time of his career

He 調印するd for City as an 18-year-old from Vasco de Gama, but was beset by work 許す 問題／発行するs

He spent two seasons in Spain with Girona ― one of City’s feeder clubs ― before 郊外住宅 調印するd him in 2019.

‘I did a pre-season with City and that was amazing as I learned so much,’ Luiz smiles. ‘It’s crazy but it was the best three months I had in my football life. Pep 押し進めるd me so much. He said: “Douglas, on the pitch you are only seeing the first five metres. I want you to see 30 metres.”

‘He was talking about my 見通し. I felt like a different player. The second year after Girona, City 手配中の，お尋ね者 me with them but the paperwork was a problem.

‘It was a bad moment as I 手配中の，お尋ね者 to play but couldn’t. But it made me more strong. I had two years at Girona and it helped me mentally. I never cried about the 状況／情勢. It was okay. And in the end it brought me here to 郊外住宅 and I am very happy.’

一時停止するd for today’s game in north London, Luiz will pray for a result 類似の to the one 郊外住宅 managed at the start of December. 支援する then, Emery’s entertaining, 進歩／革新的な 味方する 発表するd their 意向s to the 首相 League by （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing City and then 兵器庫 at home in the same week. City, in their game, managed just two 発射s.

‘It’s incredible for us to be in the 最高の，を越す five,’ explains Luiz. ‘Last year we were seventh and went to the Europa 会議／協議会 League. That was 広大な／多数の／重要な for us. Now we are trying to take another step.

‘（警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing City and 兵器庫 made us so strong. We knew how difficult that would be. It’s so hard to play against both those teams and this year we （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 them both in one week. These teams have such good players. If you do something wrong they will punish you. We know this and know we have to 改善する, 特に away from home. At home we are so good.’

After last 週末’s 3-3 draw with Brentford, 郊外住宅 striker Ollie Watkins said his team had 欠如（する）d a big mentality on that occasion.

‘I am so happy to have Ollie in my team,’ says Luiz. ‘He is special. For me he is the best striker in England and he really needs to play in the 国家の team. I see how much he has worked every day. He is so impressive.

‘And he was 権利 when he said about mentality last week. It’s true but it’s also hard to 達成する. The players and staff need to believe a little bit more. But this is normal. It’s not a big 批評 or big 取引，協定.

‘いつかs we are too nice maybe. At Manchester 部隊d, for example, we were 2-0 ahead and then fell asleep.

‘When you do that these teams will come and 勝利，勝つ the game in 10 minutes. But we are learning and 進歩ing. It’s 承認する.’

Douglas Luiz spent two 連続する seasons with Girona on 貸付金 and impressed in Spain

He also 主張するd 郊外住宅 team-mate Ollie Watkins was 権利 for 尋問 their mentality

Luiz is talking to us in the TV room of his house in the Midlands. His two brothers Daniel and Devison are in 出席.

‘It’s important for me to have my family around me,’ he says.

His 重要な other these days is girlfriend Alisha Lehmann, a スイスの international and 星／主役にする of Aston 郊外住宅’s women’s team.

Lehmann has almost 17m 信奉者s on Instagram. ‘People say we are like a celebrity couple but we are just normal,’ says Luiz r ather bashfully.

‘We go out for dinner. Go bowling. Go to the shop.’

When we 示唆する it’s hard to imagine Luiz and Lehmann 押し進めるing their trolley 一連の会議、交渉／完成する Tesco, he 反対するs.

‘I went to Tesco the other day,’ he laughs. ‘No, with no hat on or anything. I try to live my life. We both do. I like to go to Tesco. If someone wants to take a photo that’s 承認する.

‘We do everything normal. We go to dinner when we want. I am more a home person anyway. But of course I do want to do some social things with her.

‘Here in England everything is 静める. If I go to the shop in Brazil it’s crazy, almost impossible. We have a good life here.’

Lehmann and Luiz try to …に出席する each other’s matches but do not discuss football at home. He says she has the better technical 技術s but hesitates with a smile before 示唆するing she also has his number in the kitchen.

He also credits her with one important thing. ‘My English is much better because of her,’ he says. ‘My first two years I couldn’t speak English but then I met her and now I need to. We can’t have an argument if I can’t speak the language can we? If we have an argument we can now 解決する it in the moment. Before I had to use my phone to translate everything from Portuguese to English! The first time it happened I couldn’t speak anything. It had to change.

‘She speaks so many languages. I think five. German, French, English, Portuguese and Swedish. I have three ― Portuguese, English, Spanish. It’s not bad given that I didn’t even finish school.’

にもかかわらず 存在 in a celebrity couple with Lehmann, Luiz said they just live a normal life

The 郊外住宅 midfielder 明らかにする／漏らすd the pair even shop in Tesco and あられ／賞賛するd Lehmann as a person?

Luiz has 急速な／放蕩な become one of the most reliable midfielders in the 首相 League in 最近の years

With that we are 支援する where we started, in the favela. His tattoos tell his story. The 指名するs of his family on his chest. Christ the Redeemer on one calf, an impression of Nova Holanda on the other. On one finger is even a picture of his father Edmilson’s moustache. When he was playing for Vasco’s 青年 team, he would raise his finger across his 最高の，を越す lip every time he 得点する／非難する／２０d.

There were no dreams of England and the 首相 League then. No dreams of playing for Brazil, of winning Olympic gold or playing in a Copa America final.

‘I was 15 when I arrived at Vasco,’ he explains. ‘There were kids who had been there since they were nine. Maybe they thought about Brazil. Me? I was playing football in the favelas at that age. So Brazil felt like “no chance”. Yes, it’s perfect to play for Brazil and for 郊外住宅 but no it wasn’t even a dream.’

The small 追跡する of 署名／調印する that runs 負かす／撃墜する his neck on the left 味方する perhaps sums all that up. ‘I am from the favela but I have made it.’

Visit: www.gerandofalcoes.com