Xabi Alonso is the hardest player Naby Keita has faced in his career to date.
The current Liverpool midfielder ranks the former Reds pass-master as his toughest previous opponent, with the pair having competed on two occasions while at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig simultaneously.
For his part, Alonso described the Guinea international as ‘a big personality… an all-round midfielder’ when discussing his move to Anfield this summer.
The respect is mutual. Indeed, the experience of those head-to-head meetings left a lasting impression on Keita.
“When I used to play against Bayern, Xabi Alonso always used to give me a really hard time,” said the No.8 in a special interview in which he answered questions from Reds fans.
“He was so experienced, he made me suffer. The way he’d keep switching play just meant that you could never stop running. He was very intelligent.”
Naby Keita has showered encomium on Liverpool’s fans for their support in their 2-1 win over Leicester City in Saturday’s Premier League game.
Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino goals were enough to help Jurgen Klopp’s men nick their fourth win in succession despite an attempted fightback from the Foxes driven by Rachid Ghezzal’s 63rd-minute effort.
The Guinea international came off the bench to help fortify the team and ensured that the Reds did not miss out on the maximum points.
And following the triumph at the King Power Stadium, the 23-year-old midfielder has taken to the social media to heap praise on their fans for their show of solidarity that ‘kept the team going’ in the encounter.
“Important three points at a tough place to come, travelling support kept us going,” Keita posted on Instagram.
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Important 3 points at a tough place to come.Travelling support kept us going #LFC?