 Luiz Gustavo lining up for Brazil before the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luiz Gustavo Dias | ||
| Date of birth | 23 July 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Pindamonhangaba, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Universal FC Rio Largo | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2008 | Corinthians Alagoano | 21 | (2) |
| 2007 | → CRB (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → 1899 Hoffenheim (loan) | 27 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 72 | (2) |
| 2011–2013 | Bayern Munich | 64 | (6) |
| 2013– | VfL Wolfsburg | 9 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Brazil | 16 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 November 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2013 | |||
Luiz Gustavo Dias (born 23 July 1987) is a Brazilian football defender and defensive midfielder. He currently plays for Wolfsburg and theBrazil national team.
Gustavo began his career as a left back, but has played mostly as a defensive midfielder and a centre back in Germany.
Contents
[hide]Playing career[edit]
Club career[edit]
Luiz Gustavo started his professional career at Corinthians Alagoano. In August 2007, he was loaned to German club 1899 Hoffenheim.[1]On 1 April 2008, Hoffenheim signed Gustavo on a permanent contract.[2]
In January 2011, he was signed by FC Bayern Munich[3] The amount of the transfer fee varies from 15–20 million euro, depending on different sources.[4][5] On 15 January 2011, Gustavo made his debut for the club from Bavaria, 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 2011 in the 1–3 home loss against Borussia Dortmund.
On 12 May 2012, Gustavo was selected to start in the centre of midfield in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final. However he was substituted at half-time for Thomas Müller as Bayern were beaten 5–2 by Borussia Dortmund.
On 25 May 2013, Gustavo appeared as a 91st minute substitute for Franck Ribéry as Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–1 in the2013 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium.
On 16 August 2013, it was reported that Gustavo had signed for VfL Wolfsburg from FC Bayern Munich for an unspecified amount. He signed a contract that would tie him to Wolfsburg till 2018.[6]
International career[edit]
Gustavo made his debut for Brazil on 10 August 2011, coming on as a second half substitute in a friendly match against Germany.[7][8]
He was a member of Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and played the full 90 minutes as Brazil defeated world champions Spain 3–0 in the final at the Estádio do Maracanã.
He scored his first goal for Brazil in a friendly match against Australia on 7 September 2013.
Personal life[edit]
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.[9] 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 sixteen years old.
