PicoVibe

Whether Brazil can adequately replace Neymar on the pitch remains a subject of considerable doubt. Much more certain, however, is the existence of an alternative personality with the charisma and playing style to provide such a functional team with some tinge of its once fabled flamboyance.

Wherever you are in Brazil, you can barely turn on a television or walk past a series of billboards without being confronted by some sort of striking image of David Luiz. The iconic No10 shirt might still be the choice of most Brazilians but it is Luiz’s No4 that follows most closely behind. And, with Neymar having now left the party, Luiz has emerged as the unmistakable face of Brazilian football.

At one level, it says much about the dearth of their attacking talent that such status should be bestowed on a player who could not dislodge two English centre-backs from the Chelsea team. At another, though, it is also a tribute to Luiz and his infectious character. Yes, he is sometimes a defensive liability – and you would not bet against him gifting Germany a goal on Tuesday – but he is equally capable of rare brilliance.

It might have been overshadowed by Neymar’s injury but, whether it was in his booming singing of the national anthem, how he cradled a crestfallen James Rodríguez at full time or the earlier match-winning free-kick and his equally spectacular celebration, Luiz wrapped himself around Friday’s quarter-final against Colombia.

It is hard to think of another footballer whose attitude to life is also so transparently evident in the way he plays. “You have a wonderful life. God gave you this wonderful life. Why not make the most of it?” he says. “Why not smile instead of being grumpy? I believe there is always tomorrow and tomorrow is always going to be wonderful.”

In the absence of Thiago Silva against Germany in Belo Horizonte, Luiz will captain Brazil and, as is his habit before every game, he will bless all of his team-mates. On Monday night Luiz told them to prepare for the game of their lives and said: "We know we cannot fail."

As a player, he remains a mass of contradictions. Andre Villas-Boas particularly noted his “technical ability, anticipation and speed” when he became Chelsea manager in 2011, while even Jose Mourinho has remarked about his exceptional “potential”.

Mourinho saw Luiz as a central defender, as does Scolari, but until the age of 17 he played only as a midfielder. The old instincts are still frequently evident, even on Friday against a team with Colombia’s counter-attacking prowess when he went on one marauding run that stretched the length of the pitch. It was thrilling – and might have led to a goal for either team – but still also a reminder of Gary Neville’s observation that Luiz’s movement “is like he’s being controlled by a 10-year-old with a PlayStation controller”.

Mourinho was clearly also unconvinced, which makes it all the remarkable that Chelsea still managed to sell Luiz to Paris St-Germain for a world-record £48million transfer fee for a defender. Two factors, though, should also be considered.

The first is that Luiz can do things on a football pitch that are beyond the reach of any defender. His curling side-footed free-kick from 30 yards against Colombia was a goal that will take its place in the video library of Brazilian World Cup classics. Scolari later compared Luiz’s technique to that of Marcelinho Carioca, another free-spirited Brazil international who went by the nickname Pé-de-Anjo (Angel Foot) in appreciation of his dead-ball prowess.

Scolari said that Luiz had studied videos of Carioca, although the former Chelsea defender prefers to attribute his free-kicks to a combination of genetics and practice.

“I was born with the legs like this,” Luiz said. “I train a lot to do things like that. Every day I practise it. I hit the ball at just the right spot and, when I saw it moving in the air so much, I knew it would be difficult for the goalkeeper.”

The power that Luiz can get with the inside of his foot is certainly freakish, as is how the ball subsequently seems to shape to bend inwards before swirling in the opposition direction away from the goalkeeper. Children all over the world will now be seeing if they can do something similar.

And that ability to connect with younger fans also explains Luiz’s value. With his wide grin and instantly recognisable mop of curly hair, he is a sponsor’s dream. In his communication with supporters, whether up close in person or on television, there is also a rare authenticity.

That was evident when tears filled Luiz’s eyes when he was told by journalists that his “brother” Neymar would play no further part in the World Cup.

“Of course we will try to win for Neymar,” he said “We will try to win the competition for our people, for Brazil.”

As he congratulated every successful penalty taker on either side, this almost improvised but very visible leadership was also evident during Brazil’s shoot-out victory over Chile. To see Luiz’s celebrity status in South America is to make his struggles last season at Chelsea, where he was firmly behind John Terry and Gary Cahill in the pecking order, seem mildly puzzling. Luiz is a force of nature; the only problem being that he is sometimes as likely to inflict damage on his own team as the opposition.

It is worth pointing out, though, that Brazil have never lost under Scolari when Luiz has played the full 90 minutes. And, regardless of whether that record remains intact, Luiz is just about the last person you might expect to become inhibited by the expectation of 200 million fanatical Brazil supporters. As he himself told Telegraph Sport in an interview in 2012: “God gave you teeth, not only to eat but to smile as well.”

However this adventure might end, more than anyone, Luiz is the man keeping the smile on the faces of the hosts.

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