Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva feels his ability has come from playing futsal as a junior.

Lucas is grateful for his grounding in the sport.

"My first matches would have been as a four or five-year-old when we played futsal," he told the official Liverpool FC magazine.

"I played for a team called Estrela do Sul and I took part in that format until I was 12. I then moved to the grass but until then I only played futsal.

"It's different to the five-a-side game that is played here. For a start you use a smaller ball and I think playing that way helped develop my technique and control when I was a boy.

"It is still a very popular game in Brazil and Falcao [professional futsal player] is widely regarded as the best futsal player in the world."