Ahead of the UEFA Champions League final this coming weekend, a Liverpool star has explained why he did not consider asking superstar Lionel Messi for his shirt in the previous round.
Liverpool Star: Why Furious Messi Called Me A Donkey
Despite Barca being dumped out of the competition by Liverpool in one of the greatest European comebacks in recent history, the semi-final tie against the Catalan club was not always smooth sailing.
The first leg saw superstar Lionel Messi produce a magical performance, in which he scored a brace, including an incredible free-kick from far out, but their 3-0 aggregate lead was not enough to send them through to the final in Madrid.
Speaking about the Argentine and what he produced at the Camp Nou, Reds captain Jordan Henderson might have been amazed by Messi's performance, but revealed he would never ask a player for his match shirt.
"You don't think to yourself 'Oh my God, that's him', but there's no question he plays the game differently to when you see him on TV. He's so fast," he told Sportsmail.
"Thinking about his free-kick now, I still can't believe he scored it. I actually thought he was going to take it short.
"I've told you how good I think Ali (Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker) is but Messi put that shot in the one area Ali couldn't protect. The whip, the pace, the precision – it was absolutely perfect.
"Did I think about asking for his shirt? No. I've never done it.
"Roy Keane told me when I was at Sunderland that if you ask for someone's shirt, it looks like you are in awe of them.
"As it turned out, I came home with Luis Suarez's shirt. Luis is a good lad and he gave me it as a gesture as we had played together for Liverpool. I don't know what he's done with mine!"
Henderson and his teammates will play against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Champions League this Saturday.
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