Premier League legend's daughter dates Europa League rival star

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is preparing for a major Europa League final against Freiberg in Istanbul, with the support of his girlfriend, Maria Eduarda Gaspar. Maria, 19, is the daughter of former Arsenal midfielder Edu, who was part of the Invincibles squad.

Relationship and social media presence

Maria and Luiz made their relationship public earlier this year on social media following Luiz's split from former Villa player Alisha Lehmann. In March, Maria posted a selfie on Instagram showing her with Luiz, captioning it “You are my greatest certainty,” accompanied by a heart emoji. Luiz responded with a message saying, “Making you happy will be my priority.”

Maria Gaspar’s background and career

Born in Brazil, Maria moved to the UK when her father returned to Arsenal as their first sporting director in 2022. Edu left Arsenal the following summer to join Nottingham Forest as Global Head of Football but was later asked to stay away from the club after an internal dispute. Maria has pursued a career in modeling, signed with the Sao Paulo-based Mega Model Diversity agency and the talent agency weare.theunknown. Her modeling career has taken her to various international locations, including London Fashion Week where she attended the Naomi Hart show.

Family football legacy and support

Edu was a key figure in Arsenal’s Premier League-winning Invincibles team of 2003-04 and also won the league in 2001-02, as well as three FA Cups during his time at Highbury. Despite his success, European trophies eluded him as a player. Maria has shown support for her father at both Nottingham Forest and Arsenal matches and often posts photos wearing Luiz’s Aston Villa jersey at Villa Park and other stadiums.