Sir Kenny Dalglish has been speaking to the KENN7 YouTube channel about a range of topics, including his time at Liverpool.
When asked who the best player he ever managed was, the 70-year-old shared quite a surprising answer which may shock the Liverpool fans.
What’s the story?
Well, Dalglish has been lucky enough to work with some of football’s greatest talents, such as Steven Gerrard, Alan Shearer and Luis Suarez.
However, the Scot chose Lucas Leiva as the best he’s managed.
At 7:05 in the video, Dalglish said: “It depends how you define best. You see what they can do on the pitch, Steven (Gerrard), Luis (Suarez), Alan Shearer you mention the names and that’s the names that come to your mind… but you look at Lucas Leiva. Lucas was brilliant”
Well, that was not the answer we were expecting.
Understandably, the Brazilian was delighted to hear Dalglish mention his name, and took to Twitter to share his reaction.
It’s particularly interesting to hear Lucas Leiva describe his time under Dalglish as his favourite at Anfield, as he spent a decade playing for Liverpool.
In total, the 35-year-old made 37 appearances under Dalglish, helping the Reds win the League Cup.
Lucas Leiva is a Liverpool icon
As Dalglish states, it isn’t always the most technically talented players who becomes heroes at a football club.
Those who work hard, respect the badge and connect with supporters tend to be loved even if they aren’t the best player at the club, and that’s exactly what Lucas Leiva did.
The 22-cap Brazil international made an incredible 346 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, and was a firm cult hero – he still is, in truth.
Lucas Leiva’s time at Anfield ended in 2017 when Jürgen Klopp sold him to Lazio, who he has now made 181 appearances for.
It’s telling that the South American is now loved by those at Lazio as well – he is an infectious character who oozes professionalism.
Hopefully, we will see him back at Anfield in some capacity one day.
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