"He lived with our kitman" – The former teammate recalls the time of Naby Keita before Liverpool

ESPN Brasil today presents an interview of the 25-year-old forward, Rafael Assis, who is currently playing for the Náutico Third Division team.

Although still young, the player has played in several clubs, including the French club Istres, where he played with a player who is now a Liverpool star.

Rafael Assis was a teammate of Naby Keita, who spent a few years at the club. This interview having been made before the Champions League match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the Brazilian spoke a little about his friendship with the Liverpool player.

"I remember Keita very well … Keita, no. We used to call it Naby, "said Rafael Sitting at ESPN Brasil.

"I remember a beautiful episode of him, more than a life story. He went to the club to do tests, he did not come in sign. So he lived with our fashion designer at the time, in a small room. He had no difficulty, but he did not have much, you know?

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"At one point, we went shopping at the mall. I, my Brazilian friend, another French friend, he left with us. And then we were all excited to buy things, but he was short of money at the time. And he stood there watching us buy things.

"Immediately, we told him we were going to help him, that we would ask him to buy everything he wanted with us. This story is something I always remember when I'm at home or with my friends. That's why I say that all the success that he has now is the result of a lot of work and that he deserves a lot because he is very humble, a very good guy.

"All foreigners love Brazilians a lot, we come abroad and are very well received, well treated. They have a great affection for us. With Naby it was the same thing, we did not quite understand what he was saying (laughs), but we were always together, having lunch together, having dinner together.

"It was a very beautiful friendship, he was also a very humble guy, very simple and that helped our relationship. We've lost a bit of contact in the last few years, but I'm happy to be friends with a guy like him. "

Keita left Istres to join RB Salzburg in 2014 for only € 1.4 million. Two years later, he moved to RB Leipzig for an amount of 30 million euros. And finally last summer, its price was doubled, Liverpool paying 60 million euros to take it to the German side.