Douglas Luiz is a product of the Vasco da Gama academy; he was signed by Manchester City in 2017, but never played a competitive match during his time at the club, due to work permit difficulties, and was subsequently loaned out to La Liga side Girona twice.

Douglas Luiz was born in Rio de Janeiro and joined Vasco da Gama's youth setup in 2013, aged 14, after being approved in a number of tests held in Itaguaí.

[4] Douglas Luiz made his first team debut on 27 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Fellype Gabriel in a 2–2 away draw against Tupi for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B championship.

[citation needed] Douglas Luiz remained a starter for the Cruz-maltino until the end of the year, as his side achieved promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

[12] In August 2022, Luiz scored directly from a corner in the third round of the 2022–23 EFL Cup against Bolton Wanderers, and repeated the feat the following week in a Premier League fixture against Arsenal.

[19][20] The transfer was in part attributed to Aston Villa's need to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which forced them to sell one of their key players.

[23] On 7 August 2021, Luiz won a gold medal as part of the Brazil football team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.