Guardiola has praised Luiz, who can also operate as a defensive midfielder, for the career that he has had, and the former Barcelona head coach has also mocked the pundits who criticise the Brazil international.
The former Bayern Munich boss made the comments ahead of City’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal on Saturday evening.
Guardiola said about Luiz, as quoted in Goal.com: “I have incredible respect for his career. He’s an exceptional player with incredible mentality and especially personality.
”I laugh a lot about all the pundits, they were defenders and believe they didn’t make one mistake in their careers when they played for 20, 10 or 15 years.
“I like that he is still playing football and I’m pretty sure he’s going to make more good actions and mistakes as that’s part of the game, but with a lot of dignity. I have a lot of respect for this player. A lot.”
Stats
Luiz, who stands at 6ft 2in, joined Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea in the summer of 2019.
According to WhoScored, the 33-year-old has made 30 starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for the Gunners this season, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the process.
The Brazil international also played five times in the Europa League and thrice in the FA Cup for the North London outfit this campaign, according to WhoScored.
Luiz has had a successful career, with the Brazilian having won the Premier League title, the Champions League and the Europa League (twice) with Chelsea and Ligue 1 twice with Paris Saint-Germain.
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