Douglas Luiz bursts out laughing when he recalls the moment he briefly stopped being a footballer and turned into a rock star.
The Brazilian midfielder had just equalised for Aston Villa in a tense relegation clash against Watford in January and celebrated by launching himself into the Holte End in the style of Damon Albarn at the height of Blur’s fame — nearly injuring himself in the process.
Perhaps wisely, Luiz decided not to mention his near-miss to his manager, Dean Smith, who has never known until now how close he came to losing a key player for a significant period.