David Luiz may not have another Chelsea comeback left in him, but he will be hoping that his new restaurant venture, launched this week with lifelong friend (and teammate) Willian and employing many other actually qualified people, will be just as successful as his return to Chelsea was two years ago.
The Chelsea duo’s new (Italian?) restaurant is called ‘Babbo’, which means ‘Daddy’ in Italian though the one Italian we all know was certainly not at the grand opening on Tuesday — a missed opportunity for him and Willian to discuss that substitution on Sunday over a glass of fine Italian wine?
Some of Chelsea’s biggest stars were there however, including Hazard, Kanté, Giroud, Fàbregas, and Bakayoko, as well as fellow Brazilians Richarlison, Felipe Anderson (of Lazio) and Gabriel Jesus. Others, like Lucas Piazon or Philippe Coutinho sent good luck messages via Instagram.
Most Chelsea teammates, in addition to those at the opening, also participated in a lovely little video to wish David & Willian good luck. Opening a restaurant, even when backed by star power, is never not a risky proposition. But as long as they don’t give away too many free meals, like Eden Hazard cheekily asks for in the video, they should be fine.
Babbo isn’t exactly a new restaurant. The high-class and high-priced establishment first opened in 2009 to decent reviews, but closed a couple years ago. Back then it was owned by Tatiana Joorabchian, and that last name should ring a bell. It’s unclear if she’s still involved, but Kia Joorabchian, super-agent to the stars, definitely is.
In the video, Cesc Fàbregas reveals that “a lot of time” was dedicated to this project. So that’s what David Luiz has been doing all this time!