Georginio Wijnaldum insists Zinedine Zidane will remain his idol regardless of the outcome of Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Zidane leads Madrid in their bid for a third consecutive European crown, while Wijnaldum will be one of the players charged with ensuring the former France international fails in his quest.
The Liverpool midfielder has previously identified Zidane as somebody he looked up to as an aspiring footballer.
Asked whether he continues to hold him in such high regard, Wijnaldum said: "Of course, that won't change. He is still my idol.
"If you look back at old matches, it’s clear to see what I liked about him. He was a maestro."
Wijnaldum then reflected on memorable Champions League finals from his youth, although he admitted to not paying too much attention to the games.
He eventually settled on Milan's victory in 2007 as his favourite, despite that win coming against his current employers.
"I didn't actually watch many finals with a lot of focus because I was doing other stuff, but the final when [Clarence] Seedorf won it for the fourth time and [Filippo] Inzaghi scored two goals. That one I remember.
"Seedorf was another of my idols. I was very happy he won that one. It’s just unfortunate it was against Liverpool!"
