Tributes have been flooding in for Lucas Leiva after the former Liverpool man announced his immediate retirement from professional football.
Leiva made 346 appearances for the Reds across a 10-year stay on Merseyside. He made the announcement about his retirement on social media on Friday night.
The former Brazil international, who temporarily stepped away from the game after a heart issue was detected during pre-season testing with boyhood club Gremio in December, departed Liverpool for Lazio in Serie A during the 2017 summer transfer window.
READ MORE: Jordan Henderson could be helping Liverpool sign his replacement after holding 'transfer talks'
READ MORE: Liverpool owners FSG agree multi-million deal to sell one of their teams
That means May 21, 2017 is a date that will live long in the memory for the former midfielder. Not only was it Liverpool's final game of the 2016/17 campaign - and a game in which the Reds needed a win against Middlesbrough to secure a top four finish and return to Champions League football - it was also the last time Leiva would play for Liverpool.
Georginio Wijnaldum opened the scoring shortly before half-time, with Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho both helping the side cruise to a 3-0 victory. It was certainly the start of something special under Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool went on to reach two consecutive Champions League finals, winning it in 2019.
He may not have had the stats and flair of other Liverpool midfielders past and present, but Leiva was a well-respected, popular member of the dressing room and among supporters.
His early days at the club were challenging, to say the least. With the likes of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano to compete with - it wasn't easy for the then-20-year-old. He faced the lowest point of his Liverpool career when he was booed by sections of the Anfield crowd in a 0-0 draw against Fulham back in 2008.
"Fulham was the worst moment because it was the first time anything like that had happened to me but it was an experience I could learn from," he told the Independent back in 2009. "Maybe it will happen again but now I have the experience. You have to understand the supporters. They were expecting Xabi (Alonso) that time and he was on the bench.
"The game wasn't good, we were not playing well so I understand. Playing well is the only way you will change it."
And play well, he did. Over the course of a decade, Leiva became a dependable, no-nonsense midfielder who eventually won over the support. So much so, he was later named player of the season for the 2010/11 campaign.
Klopp may have been the fifth manager he played under at Liverpool, but the Reds boss still took to him and was left emotional when he eventually departed in 2017. "Things change but Lucas is a special case," said Klopp five years ago. "He asked for (to leave). I would say he's a friend. He's a fantastic person.
"It was really good. When he left, we both had a little tear in our eye. It was really a special moment. I told him that the door is always open for him after his three years and (if) I'm still here, of course, then we will find a place for him. I'm sure he'll be a fantastic coach or manager."
Leiva himself described making the decision to leave Liverpool as one of the 'hardest' he's ever had to make. He wrote in an open letter to supporters: "When you love a club and a city as much as I love Liverpool that isn't an easy decision to come to. The easiest thing for me to do would be to stay here for as long as I can even if I do not expect to play so often, but that would go against everything that I believe in as a footballer and as a competitor.
"It is for that reason that I will be joining Lazio, which means my sadness at leaving Liverpool is accompanied by a real excitement that I will be representing one of Italy's great clubs. Before I made my decision to take the opportunity to go to Italy, I discussed my situation with Klopp and the way he handled it showed once again how respectful he is to his players.
"Liverpool Football Club and its supporters will always have a special place in my heart. On top of that, the personality, humour, dignity and integrity of the people of this city will also stay with me forever."
Even after his departure, as he continued to play his football in Italy, he remained a favourite among supporters. The season after his departure, Liverpool fans hijacked a vote that meant he was crowned Lazio's player of the season with 71 percent of the vote. A year later, they did the same thing and on that occasion he secured 88 percent of the vote.
The outpouring of love towards the Brazilian was clear for all to see in the hours that followed his announcement that he was to hang up his boots. The end is a far cry from the early days of his Liverpool career.
READ NEXT:
Liverpool need to find new Steven Gerrard and Kevin De Bruyne has just proven why
Mason Mount 'free to leave Chelsea' as Liverpool handed potential transfer boost
- Steven Gerrard set for Anfield return as Liverpool icon added to Legends squad
- Alisson has been openly telling Liverpool what their problem is all season
Mohamed Salah agent comments show Liverpool situation has changed for him and his client
