Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Scott Brown is a bit daft at times but has compared his pantomime villain skipper to Luis Suarez.
The Barcelona striker led the line in 2014 as Liverpool almost won the title with things never quite the same for the club or Rodgers when he left for the Nou Camp.
As soon as he arrived at Celtic Rodgers identified the Fifer as his leader on the pitch- inspiring Brown’s performances onto a new level.
Domestically the duo remain unbeaten, in Europe they’ve suffered a few sore ones but tonight they will be looking to drive Celtic into the last 32 of the Europa League.
Brown will wear the armband for his 69th European match, taking him past Kenny Dalglish as the Scot with most European appearances, with the full backing of a manager who has operated at the very highest level.
“Whenever the time comes, and it won’t be for a few years yet, he will go down as one of the great legends of this club,” Rodgers told the Daily Record about his skipper.
“He is still creating the legend and he still has a lot to achieve here. It’s when you’re gone and your time has passed, that’s when you get truly appreciated and I think that will be the case with him.
“He’s a wee bit daft at times. Laughing and joking and taking the p**s out of himself but don’t under-estimate what he is achieving and what he has done in the game.”
Rodgers added: “It’s really nice because I had enough people telling me when I came in here that his legs were gone. Now I see him and he’s the real tactical engine of the team.
“He really dictates, he’s the brain of the team. He’s a brilliant player and he’s a credit in how he captains the club.
“He’s like a pantomime villain when he goes on the pitch and that stirs people up.
“Luis Suarez was the same. The more you got after him, the better he was, you find that with the good players.
“Every ground we went to with Suarez, he got absolutely slaughtered and he’d then score hat-tricks or doubles.
“Browny has that same real belief in his abilities. That edge that the really good players have.
“Browny has that and it doesn’t matter if it’s Ibrox or the Allianz Arena he performs. He is certainly the player of dominance for us.”
Before joining Celtic Brown made four European appearances for Hibs.
