Naby Keita has been compared to Zinedine Zidane by his Guinea international manager Didier Six, who explained his decision to make the Liverpool midfielder his captain.
The 26-year-old has endured another injury-plagued campaign at Anfield and has been limited to just 15 appearances so far this season as a result.
However, he remains one of Guinea's most important players and is set to report for international duty later this month.
Liverpool have taken the decision to prevent Keita from travelling to Namibia for Guinea's final African Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, March 28 due to current coronavirus protocols, though he will be free to play for his nation in their home qualifier against Mali three days earlier.
And with Guinea hoping to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in Qatar in 2022, Six has explained how vital Keita is to their national side despite his injury record.
"It’s not about building the team around a specific player," he told FIFA.com. "In my opinion, Keita has magical feet, and I decided to give him the captaincy because he’s a true leader.
"He’s never abrasive with his team-mates. The way he talks to them is very similar to the way Zidane deals with his players, and he communicates the message in a wonderful way.
"When he came back from injury, I gave him two full games in four days and he helped us a lot, like scoring against a strong Mali team in Mali.
"He puts himself at the disposal of the team and his team-mates do all they can to assist him. We always need his magic and battling spirit on the pitch."
