Sakho: Leadership is natural for me
Mamadou Sakho has never been daunted by responsibility. After all, the powerful centre-back became the youngest captain in Ligue 1 and Paris Saint-Germain history earlier in his career.
His force of personality was evident from the start after he completed a transfer to Liverpool last September, while Brendan Rodgers was moved to describe the No.17 as 'a monster' in training.
It's rare to see Sakho without a smile on his face and his effervescent character and positive mental attitude has a clear impact on the mood of those around him. Just ask Martin Skrtel.
The 24-year-old has been no different at the World Cup this summer either; his performances on the field and humour off it have combined to help France reach the quarter-finals in Brazil.
"Addressing my teammates in the dressing room is quite a spontaneous, natural thing for me," Sakho, who missed the Round of 16 win over Nigeria as a precaution, told FIFA.
"I've got a strong personality which helps me to get my message across. I often try to do it with humour; it's the best way to make it stick. I've always had a big brother-style relationship with youngsters.
"When I was young, I appreciated it when older guys gave me advice. You always learn things from your elders. And now I do it too, sometimes - there are players that really respond to that kind of thing."
The Paris native added: "The most important thing is for all of us to be up for the fight when the coach calls on us, and so far that's been the case."
Didier Deschamps' side meet European rivals Germany in an enticing encounter at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro tonight, doing battle for a place in the semi-finals next week.
"It'll be an interesting match," reflected Sakho, who insisted 'everything's fine' with the knock he suffered. "They've got lots of good young players, but so do we.
"We just have to stick to what we're great at, play our usual game and not get carried away. We need to continue what we've been doing since the outset, but adding in a bit of extra focus, determination and aggression."