Lucas Leiva joined Liverpool 10 years ago and his time at the club seems to be nearing an end. He signed up in the summer of 2007 from Brazilian side Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense and will see out his contract with the Reds at the end of this season.
Lucas has served under five Liverpool managers and survived the Hodgson era – that alone deserves a standing ovation. Only four foreign players in the 125 years of the Liverpool FC have ever spent more than a decade at Anfield.
The loyalty of a man who has constantly been in and out of favour cannot be questioned. As the Brazilian adjusted to the challenges of English football he was restricted to 25 starts over two seasons as Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano were favoured over him. He was one of few to shine during Roy Hodgson’s awful spell in charge. He was voted Liverpool Player of the Season in 2011 and there wasn’t a better holding midfielder in the Premier League during the early months of the 2011/12 season.
Lucas has been given several opportunities to move on from the Merseyside club due to a lack of game time. He turned down interest from Inter Milan, Besiktas and Napoli over the past three seasons despite being left out of the squad on a number of occasions in those seasons. He has never been happy to warm the bench and pick up his pay cheque, which a lot of modern PL players are quite content to do.
Playing for Liverpool has meant everything to Lucas and over the years he has become an adopted Scouser. This is a player from the heart of Brazil who now comes across as more Scouse than half of the squad.
It seems that Jurgen Klopp, who has used Lucas in five different positions, now feels it is time for the Brazil international to part ways with the club. Rumours at Anfield suggest that Liverpool will host a party rather than a testimonial match to celebrate Lucas’s achievements and loyalty.
The custom in modern football is that if a player has stayed at one club for 10 years, he gets a testimonial – even Michael Carrick got one! Lucas has taken the club and city into his heart, becoming a fan favourite and showing more loyalty than half the benchwarmers in the Premier League put together. He deserves a testimonial.
by Nubaid Haroon YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: They Don’t Make Them Like Lucas Anymore appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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