CNN -- Sebastian Junger found him crouched on a battlefield in Afghanistan, fighting to stay alive. 

Ahmad Shah Massoud, center in white shirt, leads his men in his beloved Afghan mountains. 

The Taliban had the man cornered and outnumbered. A sniper's bullet came so close to the man that it plucked dirt between his feet. But Junger watched him coolly orchestrate a cunning counterattack by his soldiers -- all while discussing his favorite poetry and international news. 

"He had tremendous magnetism," says Junger, a noted journalist and author who has written bestsellers like "The Perfect Storm," and "A Death in Belmont." 

"You didn't even need to speak his language to fall under his sway. That's the only time I've ever really felt that from another person." 

The man Junger met was Ahmad Shah Massoud, the "Lion of Panjshir." Today, Massoud is a national hero in Afghanistan, but he's also become something else: the prototype for the tough but enlightened leader Afghanistan desperately needs today, some Afghans say. Watch how images of Massoud are everywhere in Afghanistan » 

Massoud was assassinated two days before the September 11 terrorist attacks by agents linked to al Qaeda. Though he died eight years ago, his legacy looms over any would-be leader in Afghanistan, Afghans and scholars say. See current key players in Afghanistan » 

'He would have found bin Laden' 

Afghanistan's government has been accused of being corrupt and weak. Massoud had a reputation for integrity and strength, says Junger, who traveled to Afghanistan in 2000 to profile Massoud for his book, "Fire." 
Is Massoud alive?
Massoud was assassinated two days