Celebrating David Luiz, the Most Technically Gifted Defender in World Football Even after two-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge,DavidLuiz is still an ongoing conundrum forChelsea. Signed by CarloAncelotti on deadline day in January 2011 for21 million,Luiz has established himself as a key member of the Champions League and Europa League-winning squads and has improved greatly as he continues to rise to the top of European football. Rarely has there ever been a defender so forward-thinking than DavidLuiz in the Premier League. The norm is for ahardline, 6'4" brute to win several aerial challenges in the game, while also flying into crunching challenges. Luiz is very much the opposite and represents a softer approach to the game, making him more suited for a foreign league such as La Liga orSerie A. It could explain why a club who pride themselves on their technical ability, Barcelona, wanted to signLuiz in the summer. The Catalan club made the former Vitoria defender their top target last summer and failed with a bid, believed to be around25 million,per BBC Sport, to signLuiz, who confirmed he had rejected a move to theNou Camp,per ESPN. One week the Brazilian will put in a magnificent performance, closing down the opposition with his gusto, no-nonsense approach, helping his side claim a clean sheet in the process. The next he'll nonchalantly dummy a pass back to the goalkeeper, putting his side in real danger of dropping points, just as he did in the 4-1 win over Cardiff two weeks back. It's this flailing inconsistency which has hinderedLuiz for the majority of his career to date, and perhaps prevents him from being mentioned in the same breath amongst the world's best footballers. But with his risky style of play comes a unique entertainment which is rarely sourced from defenders, rather more so midfielders and attackers. It's his confidence on the ball, the tendency to dribble it out from the back, or even skip past his opponent with a sublime piece of skill, which makes him a joy to watch. And equally, so frustrating. There's times where you want DavidLuiz to go on one of his amazing runs, which leads to a 35-yardpiledriver. However, withLuiz blocked in his own corner flag, it's arguably not one of the times to do so. Perhaps it's best just to embrace his spontaneous approach to football, even if as a footballer earning several millions of pounds a year, one of his mistakes alone could cost his club millions of pounds in revenue. Those who have closely followed the Brazilian from his days atBenfica will know that he is not your typical old-fashioned defender. He prefers not to stick to his position, and as a result, you may find a gaping hole in the back four as he attempts to win the ball high up the pitch. In truth, he is one of the best defenders at doing just that. Especially along the touchline, if there is a 50-50 tackle to be made, be rest assured that the 26-year-old will make a decent tackle to halt the attack. But if there is one attribute which separates him from the rest, it's his passing ability. There are two boxes to tick in terms of separating a good passer from an average one, with the first being vision. Many players can see a pass, but more often than not, the accuracy of their pass is below par. WithLuiz, he'll simply see a pass and play it. Calculating the risk involved simply doesn't cross his mind, and while sometimes this can be a risky tactic, the sheer perfection behind the pass enables his teammates to trust him on the ball. The technique he hits the ball with is quite refreshing, too. With a pass, he tends to take a quickly before launching the ball forward to his intended recipient. Regardless of whether it's on his right or left foot, he has the confidence to play the pass. Some might argue that he is suited better in the midfield, and there's nothing wrong in mentioning that, having seen the Brazil international perform admirably in the role in the past. But the argument against deploying the madcap centre-half in midfield is simple.