Lucas Leiva has paid tribute to former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez for keeping faith in him as the Reds welcome Chelsea to Anfield.
Benitez will return to the famous stadium with Chelsea for the first time since leaving the club in 2010, when he was sacked and replaced by current England coach Roy Hodgson.
But Lucas says he will always be grateful for the Spaniard as he endured a torrid few years at Liverpool on his arrival from Grêmio in 2007.
“He was maybe one of only a few people who really believed in me when I first came to the club and he gave me the chance to prove people wrong,” Lucas is quoted as saying in the club’s match-day programme.
“Everyone knows the importance of Rafa, and especially for me. ‘I’ll always be grateful for that because if it had been another manager maybe I wouldn’t have still been here.
“Rafa was very important for my development and it will be strange, but we know how football works. He is now trying to do well for Chelsea and we hope we can beat him.”
Source: Sports Mole
