Luiz Gustavo Dias (born 23 July 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo. He began his career as a left-back, but has played mostly as a defensive midfielder, and also as a centre-back.

Luiz Gustavo
Luiz Gustavo with Brazil in 2014
Personal information
Full name Luiz Gustavo Dias[1]
Date of birth (1987-07-23) 23 July 1987 (age 36)
Place of birth Pindamonhangaba, Brazil
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
São Paulo
Number 16
Youth career
2005 CRB[3]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 Ipanema[4]
2006 Universal de Porto Real
do Colégio[5]
2007–2008 Corinthians Alagoano 21 (2)
2007CRB (loan) 14 (1)
2007–20081899 Hoffenheim (loan) 27 (0)
2008–2011 1899 Hoffenheim 72 (2)
2011–2013 Bayern Munich 64 (6)
2013–2017 VfL Wolfsburg 109 (7)
2017–2019 Marseille 67 (7)
2019–2022 Fenerbahçe 84 (5)
2022–2023 Al Nassr 29 (5)
2024– São Paulo 2 (2)
International career
2011–2016 Brazil 41 (2)
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2013 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:37, 7 August 2021 (UTC)

From 2007 to 2017 he played in Germany, where he represented 1899 Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg, making 245 Bundesliga appearances and scoring 15 goals. He won six trophies in his time in the country, including the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich.

A full international with over 40 caps since his debut in 2011, Luiz Gustavo represented Brazil as they won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and came fourth at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, both on home soil.

Club career edit

Early career edit

Born in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Luiz Gustavo started his professional career at Corinthians Alagoano. In August 2007, he was loaned to German club 1899 Hoffenheim, then of the 2. Bundesliga.[6] On 1 April 2008, Hoffenheim signed Luiz Gustavo on a permanent contract.[7] He went on to play two and a half Bundesliga seasons for the club.

Bayern Munich edit

On 3 January 2011, Luiz Gustavo was signed by Bayern Munich.[8] The amount of the transfer fee varies from €15–20 million, depending on different sources.[9][10] Twelve days later, he made his debut for the Bavarian club, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 away draw with VfL Wolfsburg. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 February, the equaliser in the 1–3 home loss against Borussia Dortmund, by volleying in Franck Ribéry's cross.[11]

In his first full season at Bayern, he played 46 matches in total, with Bayern finishing runner-up in all three competitions which they contested. His only goal came on 13 August, an added-time strike which won a league match away to VfL Wolfsburg.[12] On 12 May 2012, Luiz Gustavo was selected to start in the centre of midfield in the DFB-Pokal Final, but he was substituted at half-time for Thomas Müller as Bayern were beaten 5–2 by Dortmund. He missed their defeat a week later in the Champions League final, as he was booked in the second leg of their semi-final victory over Real Madrid.[13]

Luiz Gustavo began the 2012–13 season by featuring in Bayern's 2–1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup on 12 August. He scored four times in 22 matches as they won the league title. On 25 May 2013, Luiz Gustavo appeared as an added-time substitute for Franck Ribéry as Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–1 in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.

VfL Wolfsburg edit

On 16 August 2013, it was reported that Luiz Gustavo had signed for VfL Wolfsburg for an unspecified amount, on a contract that would tie him to the club till 2018.[14] He made his debut the following day, starting in a 4–0 win over Schalke 04 at the Volkswagen Arena.[15] One week later, in his next appearance, he was sent off for two bookings as his team lost 0–2 at Mainz 05,[16] and he was also dismissed on his return on 14 September in a 1–3 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.[17] He scored 4 goals in 29 matches as Wolfsburg came fifth to qualify automatically for the group stage of the next season's UEFA Europa League, receiving a third red card on 19 April 2014 in a 3–1 win at rivals Hamburger SV.[18]

Luiz Gustavo scored four times in five matches as Wolfsburg won the DFB-Pokal in his second season, starting with a brace in a 4–1 win over 1. FC Heidenheim in the second round on 29 October 2014, and continuing with a goal in their 4–0 victory at Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-final on 29 April 2015.[19] On 30 May, he scored from a rebounded shot by compatriot Naldo to equalise in the final against Borussia Dortmund, with Wolfsburg eventually winning 3–1 for their first cup honour.[20]

On 29 April 2017 Luiz Gustavo was sent off for the eighth time in his career in a 6–0 defeat to his former club Bayern Munich, in doing so becoming tied with Jens Nowotny for the most red cards in Bundesliga history. Referee Felix Zwayer sent Gustavo off in the 78 minute after he picking up a second yellow card for fouling Renato Sanches. Gustavo had to be restrained by his teammates as he sarcastically applauded the referee and refused to leave the field.[21]

Olympique de Marseille edit

 
Luiz Gustavo and Salzburg's Hwang Hee-chan in the Europa League semi-finals, May 2018

On 4 July 2017, Luiz Gustavo ended his decade-long spell in German football, signing for France's Olympique de Marseille for a fee of €8 million.[22] He agreed a four-year deal with a club record monthly salary of €750,000.[23] He made his debut 23 days later in a 4–2 home win over Belgium's KV Oostende in the third round of Europa League qualification.[24]

He made his Ligue 1 debut on 6 August, starting in a 3–0 home win over Dijon in the first game of the new season, contributing to the first goal from Clinton N'Jie.[25] On 1 October, he scored his first goal to conclude a 4–2 win at Nice, but was later sent off for a shin-high-challenge on Pierre Lees-Melou.[26] On his return three weeks later, he scored again from 30 yards to open the scoring in a 2–2 draw with rivals Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique, again at the Stade Vélodrome.[27]

Luiz Gustavo was an ever-present in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, playing all of Marseille's 19 matches as they reached the final, losing 3–0 to Atlético Madrid in Lyon. He made 56 official appearances in his first season in France, making him the most selected player by manager Rudi Garcia that year.[28] He was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year at the Trophées UNFP du football.[29]

Fenerbahçe edit

On 2 September 2019, Luiz Gustavo signed a four-year deal with Turkish club Fenerbahçe.[30] He made his debut on 16 September in a 3–1 away loss against Alanyaspor. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 October, in a 5–1 home win over Konyaspor.

In his first season at Fenerbahçe, he played 32 matches and scored 3 goals with 1 assist in total. In his second season, he was named one of Fenerbahçe's vice-captains. On 18 October 2020, he captained Fenerbahçe for the first time in a 3–2 away win over Göztepe. Gustavo scored his first goal of the season in Fenerbahçe's 4–1 home win over İstanbul Başakşehir on 23 December.

Al-Nassr edit

On 24 July 2022, Luiz Gustavo joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a one-year contract, reuniting with former manager Rudi Garcia.[31]

São Paulo edit

Signed with São Paulo FC for 2024 season with no transfer costs.[32]

International career edit

 
Luiz Gustavo guards the ball playing for Brazil, in an friendly match against Austria in 2014.

Luiz Gustavo made his debut for Brazil on 10 August 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute in a friendly match against Germany.[33][34]

He was a member of Luiz Felipe Scolari's 23-man squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil,[35] and played the full 90 minutes as Brazil defeated world champions Spain 3–0 in the final at the Estádio do Maracanã on 30 June.[36] He scored his first goal for Brazil in a friendly match against Australia on 7 September, later that year.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup on home soil, and having played every minute up to that point, he was suspended for the quarter-final match against Colombia due to accumulation of yellow cards.[37][38] He returned to the starting eleven for the next two games as the team finished fourth.

Luiz Gustavo was initially called into Dunga's squad for the 2015 Copa América in Chile, but withdrew with a knee injury which required surgery,[39] and was replaced by Fred.[40]

Personal life edit

Luiz Gustavo is a devout Catholic, commenting that he "read[s] the Bible a lot and pray[s] twice a day". He became engaged to his girlfriend Milene on 25 December 2010, while on holiday in Brazil.[41] He cites his mother as a big source of inspiration for him because of her dream that he would one day succeed as a player, before her death when he was just 16 years old.[42]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of match played 31 May 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1899 Hoffenheim 2007–08[43] 2. Bundesliga 27 0 3 0 30 0
2008–09[44] Bundesliga 28 0 1 0 29 0
2009–10[45] Bundesliga 27 0 3 0 30 0
2010–11[46] Bundesliga 17 2 3 0 20 2
Total 99 2 10 0 109 2
Bayern Munich 2010–11[46] Bundesliga 14 1 2 0 2[a] 0 0 0 18 1
2011–12[47] Bundesliga 28 1 6 0 12[a] 0 46 1
2012–13[48] Bundesliga 22 4 3 0 10[a] 0 1[b] 0 36 4
Total 64 6 11 0 24 0 1 0 100 6
VfL Wolfsburg 2013–14[49] Bundesliga 29 4 4 0 33 4
2014–15[50] Bundesliga 31 2 5 4 11[c] 1 47 7
2015–16[50] Bundesliga 22 1 1 0 7[a] 0 0 0 30 1
2016–17[50] Bundesliga 27 0 3 0 2[d] 0 32 0
Total 109 7 13 4 18 1 2 0 142 12
Marseille 2017–18[51] Ligue 1 34 5 3 1 1 0 19[c] 0 57 6
2018–19[51] Ligue 1 30 2 1 0 1 1 6[c] 1 38 4
2019–20[51] Ligue 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 67 7 4 1 2 1 25 1 98 10
Fenerbahçe 2019–20[51] Süper Lig 28 3 4 0 32 3
2020–21[51] Süper Lig 34 1 3 0 37 1
2021–22[51] Süper Lig 22 1 0 0 6[c] 0 28 1
Total 84 5 7 0 6 0 97 5
Al-Nassr 2022–23[51] Saudi Pro League 29 5 2 0 1[e] 0 32 5
Career total 453 32 48 5 2 1 73 2 4 0 568 40
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearance in DFL-Supercup
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearances in Bundesliga relegation play-offs
  5. ^ Appearance in Saudi Super Cup

International edit

As of match played 29 May 2016[52]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 2011 2 0
2012 0 0
2013 14 1
2014 15 0
2015 7 1
2016 3 0
Total 41 2
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.[53]
List of international goals scored by Luiz Gustavo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 7 September 2013 Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil   Australia 6–0 6–0 Friendly
2. 26 March 2015 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France   France 3–1 3–1

Honours edit

 
Brazil's Paulinho, David Luiz and Luiz Gustavo lining up before the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final, which they won

Bayern Munich

VfL Wolfsburg

Marseille

São Paulo

Brazil

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players: Brazil" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". fifa.com. FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 June 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  3. ^ "CSA e CRB garantem vaga às oitavas da Copa Alagoas Sub-20". Alagoas 24 Horas. 4 December 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  4. ^ "CSA goleia Ipanema e garante vaga no quadrangular". Alagoas 24 Horas. 17 March 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Alagoas State Championship 2006 - Second Level". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  6. ^ Hoffenheim signs Luis Gustavo on loan (in German), tsg-hoffenheim.de, 31 August 2007
  7. ^ Gustavo, Paljic and Vorsah extend contracts (in German), tsg-hoffenheim.de, 1 April 2008
  8. ^ "Bayern sign versatile Luiz Gustavo until 2015". FC Bayern Munich. 3 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  9. ^ "DFL prüft: War was faul am Gustavo-Transfer?". merkur-online.de (in German). 4 January 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Luiz Gustavo: Das ist Bayerns neuer Brasi-Star". Bild (in German). 2 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  11. ^ Matthews, Luke (26 February 2011). "Bayern Munich 1-3 Borussia Dortmund: Hummels header ends former club's title bid". Goal.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  12. ^ Whitney, Clark (13 August 2011). "Wolfsburg 0-1 Bayern Munich: Last-gasp Luiz Gustavo effort gives Bavarians the points". Goal.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  13. ^ Zuvela, Matt (15 April 2012). "Bayern in Champions League final". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Luiz Gustavo signs for Wolfsburg from Bayern Munich". BBC Sport. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Wolves maul sorry Schalke". Sky Sports. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Mainz maintain perfect start". Sky Sports. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Bayer too strong for Wolfsburg". Sky Sports. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Hamburg in deep trouble". Sky Sports. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  19. ^ "DSC Arminia Bielefeld 0-4 VfL Wolfsburg". BBC Sport. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  20. ^ "Dortmund 1-3 Wolfsburg: DFB-Pokal won by De Bruyne and Dost". Goal.com. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  21. ^ Uersfeld, Stephan (2 May 2017). "Wolfsburg's Luiz Gustavo levels Bundesliga record for most red cards". ESPN FC. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Wolfsburg midfielder Luiz Gustavo completes move to Marseille". ESPN FC. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  23. ^ "Avec Luiz Gustavo, l'OM offre le plus gros salaire de son histoire" [With Luiz Gustavo, OM offer the biggest salary in their history]. Huffington Post (in French). 4 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  24. ^ "OM-Ostende: le résumé et les buts du match aller du 3e tour préliminaire de Ligue Europa" [OM-Oostende: report and goals from the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round] (in French). Huffington Post. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  25. ^ "Marseille too strong for Dijon". Ligue 1. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Nice-OM : Luiz Gustavo, ombre et lumière" [Nice-OM: Luiz Gustavo, shadow and light]. La Provence (in French). 2 October 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  27. ^ "Marseille 2-2 Paris Saint German". BBC Sport. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Europa League: à Marseille, l'indispensable Luiz Gustavo" [Europa League: at Marseille, the indispensable Luiz Gustavo]. Le Point (in French). AFP. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  29. ^ a b "Trophée UNFP : Sept Parisiens dans l'équipe type" [Trophée UNFP: Seven Parisians in the team of the year]. L'Équipe (in French). 13 May 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  30. ^ "Gustavo Fenerbahçemizde" [Gustavo in Fenerbahce] (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe S.K. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  31. ^ "النصر يعيد ذكريات «جوستافو وجارسيا»".
  32. ^ "São Paulo anuncia a contratação do volante Luiz Gustavo". GloboEsporte (in Portuguese). 11 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Gustavo zu Nationalmannschaft berufen". 1899aktuell.de (in German). 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  34. ^ "Matchreport Deutschland-Brasilien". kicker (in German). 10 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  35. ^ "Squad List". FIFA. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  36. ^ "Brazil v Spain: Confederations Cup final – as it happened". Guardian UK. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  37. ^ "World Cup 2014: Brazil Sweat on Neymar Injury, Luiz Gustavo Suspended". NDTV. Agence France-Presse. 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  38. ^ Fernando Duarte (3 July 2014). "Luiz Gustavo's absence gives Brazil major headache against Colombia". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  39. ^ Uersfeld, Stephan (2 June 2015). "Brazil's Luiz Gustavo to miss Copa America due to knee surgery". ESPN. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  40. ^ "Fred relishing Copa America chance". Four Four Two. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  41. ^ "Luiz Gustavo's first full day at Bayern". FC Bayern Munich. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  42. ^ Interview: Luiz Gustavo, FC Bayern Munich. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  43. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  44. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  45. ^ "Luiz Gustavo" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  46. ^ a b "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  47. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  48. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  49. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  50. ^ a b c "Luiz Gustavo". kicker (in German). Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  51. ^ a b c d e f g "Luiz Gustavo Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  52. ^ Luiz Gustavo at National-Football-Teams.com
  53. ^ "Luiz Gustavo". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  54. ^ "Atletico Madrid win Europa League with 3-0 victory over Marseille". BBC Sport. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  55. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2017/18 Season". UEFA.com. 17 May 2018.
  56. ^ https://spl.sa/ar/node/4285. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  57. ^ Name, Author. "Saudi Pro League 2022-23: Team of the Season". Khel Now. Retrieved 4 October 2023. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)

External links edit