Gary Neville still regrets ‘mean’ comment about ex-Chelsea and Arsenal star
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Gary Neville admits he ‘wishes he never said’ a brutal comment about former Chelsea and Arsenal defender David Luiz. Luiz enjoyed an impressive and trophy-laden career, picking up silverware at Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal as well as Paris-Saint-Germain, Benfica and Flamengo.
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Across two spells at Stamford Bridge, Luiz lifted the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League trophies as well as two FA Cups. It was during Luiz’s first stint in west London that he attracted criticism from Manchester United and England legend Neville.
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Following a Chelsea defeat to Liverpool during the 2011-12 campaign, Neville said Luiz played like he was ‘being controlled by a 10-year-old on a PlayStation’. Eight-time Premier League winner Neville still regrets making the comment and says it was a ‘cheap shot’ at a player who went on to represent Brazil 57 times.
‘I can think of a couple of things,’ Neville said on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football when asked if he regretted anything he has said as a pundit. ‘I wish I never said the David Luiz line, about him being a ‘PlayStation player’. I wish I never said ‘billion dollar bottle jobs’ about Chelsea.
‘They’re harsh lines that stain a group of players. David Luiz never got rid of that really. ‘It’s a cheap shot, it borders on a cheap shot. There’s not many things but those come to mind.’. Responding to Neville’s admission, Arsenal legend Ian Wright said: ‘It was mean, that. The David Luiz comment felt mean.’.
