Luiz has found happiness again in Cyprus, and is on course to end his glittering career with a bang. Against all the odds, the Cypriot champions dispatched Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv and Red Star Belgrade in Champions League qualifying to reach the league phase, and were rewarded with a dream fixtures against Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Villarreal and Monaco, with fellow newcomers Kairat Almaty, Olympiacos and Slavia Prague completing their list of opponents. Luiz wasn't fit enough to play in qualifying, but he was present for the celebrations after the win over Red Star.
"Everybody was in ecstasy," Luiz told BBC Sport. "Nobody expected us to be in the Champions League this season. I'm very happy to be here because I can see this feeling, with everybody's hunger, to do something great."
He has since become a mainstay in Carcedo's team, aiding Pafos's latest tilt at the Cypriot title, but they have fallen short of greatness on Europe's elite stage. Pafos have only amassed six points from their opening six Champions League fixtures, losing 5-1 at home to Bayern and 2-0 away at Juventus. They were also held to disappointing stalemates on the road at Olympiacos and Kairat, but all hope is not lost just yet.
On matchday four, Pafos pulled off one of the upsets of the tournament, beating La Liga high-flyers Villarreal 1-0 at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, and followed that up with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Monaco at the Stade Louis II. The Cypriot champions twice battled back from a deficit, and Luiz bagged the pick of the goals, brilliantly heading into the top corner after rising highest to meet an in-swinging set-piece.
That was his first Champions League goal since 2017, and made him the second-oldest scorer in the competition's history behind Real Madrid icon Pepe. Luiz has lost much of his mobility, but still has a penchant for the spectacular, and will be highly motivated to deliver more heroics against his old club, Chelsea.
"I'm going to play against Chelsea with my heart totally full of energy," he vowed to the BBC. Pafos can still make the knockouts if they get a positive result at the Bridge and in their final league-phase match against Slavia, and if Luiz is true to his word, anything is possible.