Former Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko has described Rafa Benitez as a "second dad" and explained the roles Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard had in making his time at Anfield a success.
Signed in the summer of 2005 from Valencia, Sissoko won the FA Cup with the Reds in his first season and made 87 appearances before leaving for Juventus.
A serious eye injury sustained in a Champions League clash with Benfica in February 2006 threatened to end his career at 21, but the tireless midfielder managed to return to the side later that year.
A cult hero on the Kop, Sissoko's all-action performances endeared him to Liverpool supporters before he left the club in 2008.
Speaking to RMC Sport in France, Sissoko revealed the debt of gratitude he owes to Benitez, who brought him to the club from under the noses of Everton in July 2005.
“He's a second dad," he said. "It was him who gave me the opportunity in Valencia, at 17 years old, to be able to express myself in La Liga and win titles.
"I owe him a lot to Rafa."
Alongside Alonso, Gerrard and latterly Javier Mascherano, Sissoko's name was sung by the Kop who proudly boasted about 'the best midfield in the world' during the Malian's time at Anfield.
And the 34-year-old detailed how Alonso and Gerrard supported him during his time with the Reds, enabling him to thrive as a tenacious and tough-tackling defensive midfielder.
He added: "I played in the same position as Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard, [I was inspired by] both.
"I think Gerrard by his leadership and Xabi Alonso by his passing skills. As a young player, I think both were players I had to be inspired by.
"They really helped me and put me on the path to becoming a champion and it was a pleasure for me to play alongside them.
"It's true that at the time, I played with Xabi as an orchestrator and Gerrard as No.10, while I did the 'dirty work'. They just played the game and scored goals."
Sissoko, after being shown messages from Liverpool fans, also admitted he couldn't pick a favourite between Fernando Torres and current Kop darling Mohamed Salah.
Torres was signed two years after Sissoko and plundered 81 goals in 142 appearances for the Reds in three-and-a-half years, while Salah's brace against Arsenal on Saturday took the 'Egyptian King' to 74 in just 109 games.
"It’s complicated, they are completely two different profiles," added Sissoko.
"But you have to know that Nino (Torres) was a real, real forward. Mohamed Salah, it's true that since he arrived in Liverpool, he's scored a lot, but it's true that before that, he wasn't a real attacker, he was more a passer.”
