David Luiz returned to Chelsea as a Paphos player on Wednesday night and made a touching gesture to one of the club’s employees who spent more than half a century with the Blues.
David Luiz returns to Chelsea with Paphos (Image: )
David Luiz returned to Chelsea on Wednesday night and the former Blue paid tribute to one of the club’s long-term employees after the match by handing over an autographed shirt.
The Brazilian spent two spells at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League in his second stint. He is currently evaluating his career at Paphos, but was back in west London when the sides met in the Champions League. The English side ran out winners by a narrow margin.
Lewis was unable to come off the bench, but handed Brian Pullman, who has welcomed the media at Stamford Bridge for more than 56 years, his No. 4 shirt with a handwritten message.
Pullman was a much-loved figure at the club and left his mark on many. Lewis is the second person to take time out to recognize long-time employees of the club. The other is Jose Mourinho, who has returned as Benfica manager.
Pullman spent an incredible 56 years at Chelsea before retiring in 2024, but Special One has remembered his contribution. Mourinho looked at the veteran employee, smiled and asked: “Where are my favorite biscuits?” Pullman then revealed that he had six custard creams.
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Chelsea’s victory over Paphos ensured they moved into the top eight of the Champions League table, putting them in pole position to avoid the dangerous play-off stages and secure one of the last 16 spots.
Moises Caicedo scored the winning goal in the second half to see off the Cyprus minnows and new manager Liam Rosenior believes he can work with the best players in the world in his position. “As I said before, he is the best defensive midfield player in the world at the moment,” insisted the Blues head coach.
A Brazilian defender who has worked for Chelsea for many years handed him a signed shirt (Image: )
“So he’s fun to work with, not just in possession, but the whole possession, the way he blocks the pass line. He makes the players around him better. I don’t know how many headers he’s taken in his career, but that was a great header and it was a really, really important moment in the game against a player like him.”
Chelsea face an even bigger challenge next week as they hope to complete their route to the knockouts. They head to Napoli to face the Italian champions, who are managed by former manager Antonio Conte.
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