"I always looked forward to going to the supermarket with my mother," he explained. "There were a lot of round things to play football with. Unfortunately, there were also things like lampshades, which got broken. My mum always says that shopping with me was very expensive!"
Such was the passion for the sport in the man. A little boy from Senegal, who believed in himself. For it was belief that helped him travel 6000 miles from Africa to France.
Then he was a teenager, roaming around unchartered territories in France, who believed in himself. For it was the belief that helped him to not break down and fall apart when it was getting difficult to find a club.
He was then a young man, who believed in himself. For it was the belief, that made him dream of Champions League football with a newly promoted club.
"Belief is a beautiful armour", sung John Mayer. Well, it truly is beautiful, because it makes the impossible look possible, as it has, for this up and coming star.
The man we're talking about here is 22-year-old Naby Keita. One of the players who has established himself as revelations, having helped RB Leipzig to a stunning second place finish in their very first season in the Bundesliga. A lot of it was down to the fact that Keita and his teammates believe.
His rise is quite a brilliant story and is certainly an inspiration to aspiring footballers. To be fair to him, he has got some ability to go with his mental strength. To score the winner against Borussia Dortmund on your Bundesliga debut is no mean feat. It was far from a fluke, though. Keita netted seven times in the 30 more league games the past season.
But, why do Liverpool need him more than any other player? Moreover, why are they reportedly willing to pay a handsome £50 million for him?
To put it in one simple sentence - he's already of the best in Europe (if not the world) at what he does. He is different from your regular defensive midfielder because he will tear the opposition with a scorching through ball, finding runs that even some of the elite attacking midfielders would fail to.
Having said that, he's different from your everyday playmaker too. He's robust and doesn't shy away from a crunching tackle. Add to that, the ability to score a piledriver from way out while also having the ability to dribble past players with great technique. He's Yaya Toure in his prime, almost. Or perhaps, the current Radja Nainggolan. The only difference being, he's only 22.
Every club in the world should be going nuts over his signature, and Liverpool fans should be delighted to know that they're the frontrunners and that too by some distance. Leipzig's reluctance to sell him is seen with their massive asking price of £50 million. However, he could be a player whose value could well be twice that amount in three years time, and it makes perfect sense to invest that amount in him. He's almost certain to repay it.
Moreover, he's just the kind of player who Liverpool are crying out for. A general in midfield, who'll march his troops forward with responsibility and pride. A player with immense all - round quality.
The Reds have definitely missed that ever since Steven Gerrard retired, and Jordan Henderson has proved to be far from the leader people expected him to be. The voice that ignites a fire in the players to go for glory. And Naby Keita can be the answer. On top of that, a handy number of goals coming off his boots would do Liverpool a world of good.
Naby Keita's awareness and positioning when not in possession are commendable too. His game reading ability is phenomenal, and that adds to the security of a usually fragile defence.
For the benefits that Keita will add to the squad, £50 million looks like a bargain, and he's just what Liverpool need, which is yet another reason why he is the one Liverpool should be most desperate to get. The fact that he also has at least a healthy 10 years of football still in him is another reason he's certain to make people forget about the money that he would cost.
To conclude, Naby Keita is everything Liverpool has missed in their recent past. The most important of them being belief. If Liverpool believe they can go all the way, as they say, they're halfway there. As mentioned before, Keita is a player who believes, and maybe belief is the most vital of all things Liverpool lacked.
Also read: Where next for Angel di Maria?
