Diego Maradona vs David Luiz: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Centre-Back, Brazil (born 1987, retired 2023)
The Diego Maradona–David Luiz comparison is one of those fixtures of footballing folklore. Reputations harden into legacies, and few careers cast longer shadows than these two. Career output puts Diego Maradona at 293 goals in 582 games, with David Luiz at 35 in 650. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Diego Maradona is credited with 0 and David Luiz with 25. Diego Maradona departs the game with 6 major pieces of silverware, including 1× FIFA World Cup (1986); David Luiz with 6, including 1× UEFA Champions League (2012). History will file Diego Maradona under explosive greatness and David Luiz under commanding greatness — different shelves, same temple. Club journeys add another layer, with Diego Maradona reaching his representative peak around 1986 across Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and David Luiz doing so around 2013 with Vitória, Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal, Flamengo. Rank them how you like — both names are carved into the sport's permanent record.
178 words · comparison angle: legacy
Player profiles
Argentine legend who almost single-handedly led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and transformed Napoli into Italian and European contenders.
“A low-centre-of-gravity left-footed genius whose dribbling and playmaking carried teams single-handedly.”
An eccentric, unpredictable Brazilian centre-back famed for his wild hairstyles and thunderous free-kicks, David Luiz won trophies across three major European leagues.
“An unorthodox, high-risk centre-back who combined bold attacking instincts and a huge shot with occasionally erratic positioning.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1986)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1989)
- 2× Serie A (1987, 1990)
- 1× Copa Italia (1987)
- 1× Argentine Primera División (1981)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2012)
- 2× UEFA Europa League (2013, 2019)
- 2× Premier League (2015, 2017)
- 1× FA Cup (2018)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1976 Argentinos Juniors debut ten days before his 16th birthday
- 1981 Joined Boca Juniors and won the Argentine league
- 1982 World-record transfer to Barcelona
- 1984 Signed for Napoli for another world-record fee
- 1987 Led Napoli to their first ever Serie A title
- 1990 Captained Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final
- 1997 Played his final professional matches at Boca Juniors
- 2006 Professional debut for Vitória
- 2012 Won UEFA Champions League with Chelsea
- 2018 Won FA Cup with Chelsea
- 2013 Reached the peak of his powers at Chelsea
- 2023 Retired after a final spell at Flamengo
- Finished his career with 35 goals in 650 appearances and 6 major honours. Finished his career with 35 goals in 650 appearances and 6 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Diego Maradona wins out by a clear margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Diego Maradona edges it (a clear margin)
