“We have a lot of players with an offensive mentality, but still Lucas was there in the middle, doing a fantastic job for the team. I was really surprised, then, to hear some people still give him criticism. Our fans have been choosing him as the man of the match, though, and that says everything.

“He is going to be a very important player for us in the future. The lads love him because he trains really well, he is always chatting, always working hard. They know he is a very good professional and a very good lad.”

Rafael Benitez on Lucas Leiva.

PS : Happy birthday, Lad. YNWA !