ESPN Brasil today shares a very interesting and strong story told by Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz.
The Villa Park had a long conversation about the tough past he had to live through in Rio de Janeiro, where he had to overcome many difficulties in his path to becoming a professional footballer.
One of the stories recalled by the Aston Villa player is from a time he couldn’t get to a training session because of a shooting in the community he used to live in.
“There were times, for example, when I missed training sessions. Episodes when I was going out with my father and, at the same time, there was a shooting where I lived. For those of you who don’t know, in the community it’s like this: when someone is shot, whether they’re a bandit or not, it’s a resident who takes them to hospital,” said Douglas.
“That day, I was leaving for training and someone was shot. My father had to get me out of the car to take the person to hospital. It was an episode I’ll never forget. These are difficult moments, but they serve your life as a learning experience, an experience? I’ve always thanked God for the family structure I had. It was the essential point in my life.”
Due to a work visa issue, though, the midfielder was never used by the Cityzens, and stayed on loan at Girona until 2019. That’s when Aston Villa became interested and bought him for €16.8m.
Douglas Luiz now has 189 appearances for Aston Villa, with 22 goals and 22 assists, but he doesn’t forget about his time at Vasco, and in the same interview, promised that returning to Rio de Janeiro is one of the objectives he has.
He added: “As I always say: Vasco is everything to me too. It made me a man, it made me an athlete. I studied at Vasco, I grew up at Vasco, I learnt at Vasco. There are many things that have helped me, not just as a player, but as a person too.
“And I’ve done everything for Vasco, I’ve given my all at youth and professional level. I gave my life. It was a beautiful time, even though it was short. And my history with Vasco isn’t over. I’ll be back. I think a little further down the line. As soon as I manage to fulfil all the dreams I have out here. I’ll come back to Vasco and do my best to finalise this story.”
