Douglas Luiz enjoys early-season break in Marbella with Vinicius Jr following Brazil snub having sealed Premier League return with Nottingham Forest

With both Luiz and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr not in Brazil's latest squad for their World Cup qualifiers, the compatriots headed off to Marbella during the international break. Footballers play very demanding schedules, so getting breaks where you can is not a bad thing.  

Luiz has had a tough year following his move to Juventus. A lack of minutes and disciplinary problems marked his time in Serie A, but now he is back in the Premier League after joining Nottingham Forest on loan. Vinicius Jr is almost nailed on to make Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad but midfielder Luiz needs to have a stellar season to feature in Carlo Ancelotti's plans, so getting breaks in could be helpful. 

Luiz has 18 caps for Brazil, the last of which came in 2024. If the 27-year-old wants to be at next year's World Cup, he will have to replicate the form that made him a highly coveted player at Aston Villa, where he scored 22 goals in 204 games.  

Former Vasco da Gama man Luiz will now be focusing on making an impact at Forest when the international break concludes this week. He could make his debut for the club away at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.