“I don’t want to see your face, go away” – Roman Abramovich tells Chelsea player before Champions League final game
Before Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League in 2012.
Former Chelsea defender David Luiz has revealed a conversation he had with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
Luiz, who was 25 at the time, recalled Abramovich gave him the cold shoulder beforehand.
“Roman Abramovich spoke to me on the day of the game and asked, ‘How is your leg?’ David Luiz said according to Daily Express:
“I told him, ‘It does not matter, I play with my head and my heart’.
“He said, ‘Go away, I don’t want to see your face, I am so nervous!’ I said to him, ‘Don’t worry, we will win’.
“But it could have gone badly wrong. Imagine if I’d been forced off after 10 minutes, or I made a mistake for a goal because I could not run? It was a big, big decision.”
He added: “I perhaps should not have played, but some special people encouraged me to take that step, to play even though I was not fit.
“They told me not to be scared. There was big pressure after that.”
Luiz played the full 120 minutes and scored the second spot kick as Chelsea won 4-3 to clinch our first Champions League title.