David Luiz is still active at 39, still listed as a centre-back for Pafos FC, and still carrying one of modern football’s most colourful defensive careers into a late European chapter. From Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Flamengo to Cyprus, David Luiz is Old But Gold with curls, chaos, trophies and one more continental stage.
Old But Gold: David Luiz, Pafos FC’s 39-Year-Old Defender Still Bringing The Drama
A Champions League winner, Europa League winner, Premier League champion, Copa Libertadores winner and former Brazil international, David Luiz has never been a quiet defender. At 39, he is still exactly what he has always been: brave, expressive, risky, gifted and impossible to ignore.
David Luiz: Player Card
- Full name: David Luiz Moreira Marinho
- Date of birth: 22 April 1987
- Age: 39
- Nationality: Brazil
- Place of birth: Diadema, Brazil
- Height: 1.89 m
- Position: Centre-back
- Foot: Right
- Current club: Pafos FC
- Contract: Until 31 May 2027, with an option for a further year
- Brazil record: 57 caps, 3 goals
- Last updated: 6 July 2026
Transfermarkt lists David Luiz as a 39-year-old centre-back for Pafos FC, born in Diadema on 22 April 1987, with a contract until 31 May 2027 and 57 caps with 3 goals for Brazil. Transfermarkt’s David Luiz profile gives the clean player-card details, including his age, position, club, height and contract status.
Pafos FC officially announced the signing in August 2025, describing the arrival of David Luiz as a historic moment for Cypriot football and confirming a contract until 2027. Pafos FC’s official announcement framed the move as the arrival of a global name into a club pushing itself into a bigger European conversation.
Who Is David Luiz?
David Luiz is a Brazilian centre-back known for his long curls, aggressive passing, free-kick threat, emotional defending and a career that has always lived close to theatre. Some defenders try to remove drama from matches. David Luiz often looked like he brought his own drumline.
His career has passed through some of football’s biggest and loudest rooms: Vitória, Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Flamengo, Fortaleza and now Pafos FC. He has won in England, France, Portugal and South America, then returned to European competition through a Cypriot club that suddenly found itself carrying a familiar global name.
That is why David Luiz fits the Old But Gold world so neatly. He is not only old enough to be a nostalgia piece, and not only decorated enough to be a museum object. He is still active, still attached to European football, and still playing the same strange high-wire role he has played for most of his career.
Why David Luiz Is Old But Gold
David Luiz is Old But Gold because his value has never been ordinary. At 39, he is not being judged like a quick young defender with resale upside. He is being judged as a veteran who brings leadership, passing range, aerial presence, set-piece threat and the kind of big-match memory that smaller clubs rarely get to buy.
For Pafos, the signing was bigger than one centre-back. It was a statement. A club from Cyprus did not just add experience. It added a player who had stood inside Champions League finals, Premier League title races, Ligue 1 dominance, Copa Libertadores nights and Brazil’s national-team pressure.
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“David Luiz does not age like a quiet defender. He ages like a match that still has one ridiculous twist left.”
The Pafos chapter also kept him connected to the Champions League conversation. Transfermarkt’s achievements page lists him as a Champions League participant again in 2025-26 with Pafos, and credits him with one Champions League goal in that campaign. Transfermarkt’s achievements page shows how the late-career Cyprus chapter added one more European line to an already unusual résumé.
David Luiz’s Career Path
David Luiz began at Vitória before moving to Benfica, where he became one of the most exciting young defenders in Portugal. Chelsea then brought him into the Premier League, and the first Chelsea spell turned him into a Champions League winner and Europa League winner.
Paris Saint-Germain gave him French dominance. Chelsea brought him back for another trophy cycle, including the Premier League title and another Europa League. Arsenal added another London chapter. Flamengo gave him South American silverware, including the Copa Libertadores. Fortaleza was brief. Pafos made the late-career story strange and compelling again.
Records And Legacy
David Luiz’s legacy is too odd to fit inside one category. He was a defender who played like a midfielder, a centre-back who took free kicks, a risk-taker who won everything, and a personality who could make a match feel larger just by being on the pitch.
Transfermarkt’s honours page lists a major trophy map: Champions League winner with Chelsea, two-time Europa League winner with Chelsea, Premier League champion, two-time French champion with PSG, Portuguese champion with Benfica, Copa Libertadores winner with Flamengo, two-time Copa do Brasil winner, and Confederations Cup winner with Brazil. That is not a normal defender’s cupboard. It is a travel trunk full of medals.
The Brazil chapter adds another layer. Transfermarkt lists him with 57 caps and 3 goals, and his 2014 World Cup presence remains part of his public football memory. The story contains triumph, collapse, drama and reinvention, which may be the most David Luiz sentence possible.
David Luiz Legacy Snapshot
- Still active at 39: Listed with Pafos FC in 2026.
- Contracted through 2027: Pafos announced his deal until 2027, while Transfermarkt lists 31 May 2027 with an option for another year.
- Brazil international: Transfermarkt lists him with 57 caps and 3 goals.
- European champion: Won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2011-12.
- Europa League winner: Won the competition twice with Chelsea.
- South American champion: Won the Copa Libertadores with Flamengo in 2022.
- Late-career statement: His Pafos move was described by the club as a historic moment for Cypriot football.
TMJ Scout Notes
David Luiz at 39 should be judged as a veteran organiser and ball-playing defender, not a pure recovery-speed centre-back. The old strengths still matter: long passing, heading, set pieces, leadership, big-stage calm and the confidence to play forward under pressure.
What Comes Next For David Luiz?
David Luiz’s Pafos contract runs until 31 May 2027, with Transfermarkt listing an option for a further year. That gives this Old But Gold chapter more than a cameo feeling. It is not a one-week headline. It is a real late-career stop in a country trying to stretch its club football visibility.
The question now is how much football remains in the legs and how much influence remains in the voice. Pafos did not sign him only for clearances. They signed a defender who can teach, attract attention, carry pressure and make smaller European nights feel strangely grand.
For more veteran football stories, follow TMJ’s Oldest Active Footballers: Old But Gold World Edition, the River Plate wall of Franco Armani, and the Inter Miami predator profile of Luis Suárez.
TMJ Verdict: David Luiz Is The Chaos Defender Who Still Has A Stage
David Luiz belongs in Old But Gold because his career is still moving, still strange and still loud enough to matter. He has won the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, Ligue 1, Copa Libertadores and more, then somehow turned up in Cyprus with Pafos FC to add one more unexpected chapter.
King Kazu is the impossible outlier. Fábio is the record-breaking wall. Suárez is the old predator. David Luiz is the chaos defender: older now, but still capable of turning a routine defensive story into a full-colour storm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is David Luiz?
David Luiz is a Brazilian centre-back who plays for Pafos FC and is best known for his spells with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Flamengo and Brazil.
How old is David Luiz?
David Luiz was born on 22 April 1987 and is 39 years old.
Which club does David Luiz play for?
David Luiz plays for Pafos FC in Cyprus.
When does David Luiz’s Pafos FC contract expire?
Transfermarkt lists David Luiz’s Pafos FC contract until 31 May 2027, with an option for a further year.
Why is David Luiz an Old But Gold player?
David Luiz is an Old But Gold player because he is still active at 39 after a trophy-heavy career with Chelsea, PSG, Arsenal, Flamengo, Brazil and now Pafos FC.
Fact-Check Notes
This article was fact-checked using current player profiles, Pafos FC’s official announcement and Transfermarkt’s honours data for David Luiz’s club and international record.