The subtle ascent to the top - Lucas Leiva

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Lucas Leiva of Liverpool looks on during the UEFA Europa League Third Round Qualifier between Liverpool and Gomel at Anfield on August 9, 2012 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)

Three years ago, our midfield was the best in the Premier League. “We’ve got Xabi Alonso… Momo Sissoko… Steven Gerrard and Mas-cher-aaaaa-noooooo!” Either teams gave up when they had a look at our team sheet or would reckon themselves getting tantalized in the middle of our park. We feared no one. Everybody feared us.

Slowly, one by one left the club. First went Sissoko, second Alonso and finally, Mascherano. The only man who stayed was Gerrard but he was plagued with injuries. From a belligerent midfield to a one put together with a dearth of creativity, Liverpool’s dominance was slipping from its grasp. The fans, like me, were petrified. Minnows like Wigan and Sunderland fancied beating us and Champions League seemed a far fetched dream. Who would’ve thought the decline of Liverpool Football Club would have been triggered by the fall of the midfield dominoes?

Meanwhile, a young Brazilian midfielder, Lucas Leiva was acclimatizing to the horrid English weather. His knowledge of the English language wasn’t the best, neither was he immortalized to be the next Xabi Alonso – a player who we direly needed to replace in the line-up. Very few fans had heard of him, let alone knew his jersey number. “That chap who curled a 25 yard strike against Havant and Waterloville, you mean him?” That goal was the only information of him registered in our dictionary. On the other hand, most of us were busy weeping over our non-existent midfield core. “Aye mate, Everton seems to look better on paper now.”

Three years later, our best player happens to be the one everyone wanted away – Lucas Leiva. Now every Kopite has his or her jersey that spells Lucas on the back. The same player whose appearance on the pitch made us cringe, caused us to weep when his ligament tore in December last year. From a player who only made the back pages of a newspaper for his idiosyncratic hair locks to today being the most valuable player on the Liverpool squad, Lucas Leiva has seen it all.

Lucas arrived from the land of the Ronaldos, Ronaldinhos and Robinhos. When almost every star in the Samba land has his name ending with an ‘o’, Lucas unfortunately wouldn’t have been heralded as a change in Liverpool’s fortunes. His transfer fee was around 5 million pounds adding speculation to if Liverpool actually bought the right guy. Benitez sparingly used him the first season – the season when our best midfield was in its prime. When Lucas did feature, he was criticized for complacency, lack of flair that we expect out of Brazilians and inability to slot in the centre of midfield. Soon, he came out saying he is the next Xabi Alonso although Liverpool had transferred Mr. Aqualoanee, only for us to rubbish his claims. “Who does he think he is? Goldilocks?”

In a span of seven days, Lucas stock has plunged even deeper. First, he conceded a penalty at Wigan that cost Liverpool it’s stranglehold on the League and next, Leiva followed it up with a rash tackle against Everton that got him sent off. His next game saw him being booed at Fulham at every touch he made. Even when he won the ball, fans screamed at him to lose it. Nobody liked Lucas. We thought he was the punishment of the sins that we committed under Benitez. “Oh Rafa the Gaffer, out of all kids in Brazil, you found him?” And we assumed that just when Rafa was sacked, so it meant the end of the road for Lucas. Hoorah we celebrated, goodbye we bid the lad.

Punch three years in a time machine console and here we are in 2012. Benitez once remarked that Lucas Leiva would prove everybody at Liverpool wrong. He felt this dubbed sensation was the future of this illustrious football club. How true that prediction turned out to be? When Rodgers submits the line-up to the officials, not many will disagree what the first name written on the team sheet should be. No, not Gerrard or Suarez, but a modest Lucas Leiva. The man with the No 21 on his back has rapidly grown out of his shell to become a fan favorite. Earlier, we hated him, despised him and loathed him. Right now, he is indispensable to our hearts.

During the latter days of Benitez’s reign and the initial period of Hodgson’s torrid stint at Liverpool, the club encountered a crisis to solve the midfield puzzle. It didn’t help either that we were not in contention to play in the Champions League which meant no big names wanted to sign for us. As a temporary replacement, Lucas was pushed into the line-up to play behind Steven Gerrard, allowing room for the skipper to take on his free role. After Lucas had a few games under his belt, he had already grown into an overnight superstar. His versatility was at its focal point as he shut down the opponents attack single handedly. Often, he had to reprise the role of a holding midfielder in Gerrard’s absence, at the same time plug the loopholes left open by the aging defense. Such was his talent that he was a regular in the Brazilian National Team and won an Olympic medal. Between 2009 and 2011, Lucas had rejuvenated from a prospect in mediocrity to a virtuoso in prominence. There was no surprise when he won Liverpool FC’s Player of the Season in 2010.

To attest his exigency in the line-up, last night at Anfield, Liverpool tore apart their opponents from Belarus. Although Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez played crucial roles in setting up the goals, their freedom to operate with immunity was guaranteed by Lucas’ presence on the pitch. His last ditch tackles, reluctance to let the opponent outpace him and sheer dedication in being a selfless moderator in the middle of the park showcased how irreplaceable he has become. As he was billed to become, Lucas Leiva is the heart and soul of this Liverpool midfield. While it is certain that our team is not nearly a force to contend with, it is a glimmer of hope that our future is set on this blonde prodigy’s hands.