David Luiz claims to have been disillusioned by life at Chelsea before moving to PSG
David Luiz has revealed that his decision to leave Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain was because he was no longer happy at Stamford Bridge. He also insisted that his departure had nothing to do with a falling out with Jose Mourinho.
The 27-year-old Brazilian defender moved from Chelsea to the Ligue 1 champions for a whopping £50 million transfer fee, last year after turning down a contract extension with the London club. Luiz is set to face his former club, where he spent three seasons, coming Tuesday as Chelsea and PSG face-off for the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 tie.
The World Cupper suggested that reports of his falling out with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was baseless and the decision to move was completely on his own wishes.
The ex Benfica star said, “When Mourinho left Real Madrid he said he wanted to go when he felt good – I was not feeling good and I said I wanted to leave. Chelsea offered me a new contract and I said, 'I’m not feeling the same thing I was feeling years ago.
“People tried to make stories about me and Mourinho, but we never had any history. He was the boss and he decided who plays and who doesn't.
“When he didn't put David Luiz in, it was [feigns horror] – 'Oh my God’ -- but I’m just one more player, no problem.
"But it was all natural. I said 'thank you' to everyone. I was very happy in Chelsea but I decided now is the moment for another place and it became a great opportunity for me to come to a big project. Fantastic club. And I said 'now I want to go to PSG.
Mourinho never tried hard to retain Luiz
“Mourinho is a coach who has a different style. He doesn’t talk to you about your life. As a player you will not know too much about his personal life and he will not know too much about his players.
“He didn't try too much [to keep me] because I was in Brazil [at the World Cup] -- he said, ‘It’s OK, you can go.’ I had a great life in London, great moments, we were champions of Europe, I had an amazing connection with the fans, my teammates and everyone at the club.
“But I decided my cycle was finished. I was not playing as much, but I still played in all the big games. You can check.”