The Brazilian arrived at Merseyside in 2007 with so much promise. He was arriving on the back of some impressive achievements in his homeland: captain of Brazil’s U-20 squad and youngest-ever winner of Placar magazine’s Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball) for best player in the Brazilian league. In winning that, Lucas joined an eminent class: Kaka, Romario and Zico. The most impressive thing about his accomplishment was that he did so in his first season in the top-flight. No wonder his capture by Rafa Benitez was considered a coup.
“He's an exciting player of a type that Brazilian football hasn't produced too many of recently. Of late their central midfielders have tended to be 'holders' who sit and allow the full-backs to push forward. Lucas is different. He's a big, blonde figure whose power and physical strength comes with attacking ability. He can pass well and loves to rumble forward” BBC’s South American football expert, Tim Vickery said of the Brazilian when he moved to Anfield.
His first few years in the English game however did not back up the expert’s view. He toiled to convince fans of his quality. His achievements rather than win him patience and faith incurred the frustration of fans; getting booed on some occasions by his own fans.
Struggling for form and consistent performance in the team, his course was not helped by the presence of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in the team. Benitez preferred the duo over Lucas. This notwithstanding, he made 69 appearances in his first two seasons and was gradually coming into his own. Evidence of his development was to become fully manifest in his third season, 2009/10. Xabi Alonso departed for the Spanish capital and that gave Lucas enhanced chances of starting matches on a regular basis. His performances improved culminating in winning Liverpool’s “Young Player of the Year” at the end of the season.
The 2010/11 got better for him even without a kick of the ball. The Alonso-Mascherano midfield axis was extinct. Mascherano also departed to Spain to join Barcelona. Lucas’ path to the starting team was cleared of any “obstacles”. He grabbed the opportunity and went on to become a key player in the team. He ended that season with another individual accolade: Liverpool Player of the Season. Most fans had been won over at this stage.
He became one of Kenny Dalglish’s key players in the 2011/12 season, starting the season with a number of fine displays. He had grown into a good defensive midfielder in the league. His season however was brought to a cruel in November, 2011 at Stamford Bridge during a League Cup quarter final. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury meant that he played no part in the 2011/12 season. Liverpool’s season petered out after a good start and Lucas’s absence is often cited as one of the major factors for that. That showed how the Brazilian had developed from the days of being booed by his own fans.
He worked his hard to return from injury ahead of schedule earning high praise from his new manager, Brendan Rodgers.
“I have to say, I’ve only been in the job a short period of time and when I first arrived everyone told me how special Lucas was as a player and a character, and in reality he’s been even better than that when I’ve met him, “Let’s not forget the nasty knee injuries he has also battled back from as well.
“The injury he had, it is normally nine months before you can get back so he’s is back two months early and you only do that with sheer determination and hard work.
“He is the ultimate professional and he is going to be a brilliant player for me in my career here at Liverpool and I’m looking forward to seeing him fully fit….”
Rodgers did not get his wish, though. Injury struck again. He pulled off with a thigh injury during the second game of the season against Manchester City. He stayed on the sidelines for three months. The team and the fans missed his presence. He was greeted with applause when he made his return against Southampton in December, 2012 at Anfield. The Brazilian was however not the same player after those two injuries. Those injuries robbed him off the mobility that he needed to function in Rodgers’ midfield. Gerrard’s evolution into a deep-lying midfielder has also meant that his path to the first team is even more difficult now.
Over the course of the last 18 months, his place has been more on the bench than the starting eleven. A further blow was dealt him in January when shortly after making an appearance from the bench he suffered a knee injury. He was out for two months. His chances of making first team further declined with that injury. However his 45-minute game-changing appearance at Boyeln Grounds in April, 2014 served a reminder of his ability; an ability that sadly shows too irregularly nowadays. Sloppy passing, rushed tackling and yellow cards characterize his few and far between appearances than anything else these days.
He went from a figure taunted by fans to one admired by them. Now he polarizes the fan base. After 243 games and 6 goals, how far more does his Liverpool journey travel? If you look to twitter and other social media, his journey is screeching to a halt. He has remained a good professional despite all he has faced and has shown genuine love for the club. If fans are to be believed, it seems those reasons coupled with difficulty in getting buyers for him are the only reasons he is still at the club. His football ability doesn’t seem a cherished item on the red half of Merseyside any longer.