Henderson reveals he didn't ask for Messi's shirt after Champions League defeat to Barca because of Keane advice

The England midfielder has described his experience of playing against the six-time Ballon d'Or winner for the first time during the 2018-19 campaign
Jordan Henderson has revealed that he took Roy Keane's advice on board regarding swapping shirts after Liverpool's defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League, insisting he never considered asking for Lionel Messi's jersey.

Liverpool suffered a 3-0 loss at Camp Nou in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last season, with a Messi double and a Luis Suarez effort earning the home side a comfortable win.

Messi was in inspired form on the night, and marked a superb all-round performance when he fired an unstoppable 25-yard free-kick past Alisson late in the game.
 

Henderson was introduced to the action as an early substitute after Naby Keita was forced off with an injury, and was powerless to stop Barca taking command of the tie.

However, Liverpool produced a stunning second-leg display to book a place in the final, securing a 4-0 victory at Anfield thanks to two goals each from Georginio Wijnaldum and Divock Origi, before going on to lift the trophy after a showpiece win over Tottenham.

Looking back on the first leg, Henderson says he refused to swap shirts with Messi because he didn't want to seem "in awe" of the Argentine superstar, which he was warned about by former boss Roy Keane during his time at Sunderland.

“As it turned out, I came on quite early as Naby Keïta got injured," the Reds captain told the Daily Mail.




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