LIVERPOOL ARE CURRENTLY putting the finishing touches to their preparations for a Champions League final appearance that looked highly unlikely just four weeks ago.
The Reds will aim to become champions of Europe for the first time in 14 years when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday night’s decider.
Jurgen Klopp’s side qualified for the showpiece fixture at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid courtesy of a stunning semi-final triumph at the expense of Barcelona.
Having lost 3-0 to Barca at the Camp Nou, Liverpool staged a remarkable second-leg recovery at Anfield to win 4-3 on aggregate.
In an interview with The Daily Mail ahead of this weekend’s final, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson reflected on how the first-leg defeat marked the first time he had been in opposition to Lionel Messi.
After Luis Suarez put the hosts ahead against his former club, Messi scored twice to give Barcelona a commanding advantage which they ultimately squandered six days later.
“It was the first time I had been on a pitch with Lionel Messi,” said Henderson. “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.”
The 28-year-old midfielder explained how advice from one of his ex-managers has prevented him from asking to exchange shirts with opponents over the course of his career.
“Did I think about asking for his [Messi's] shirt? No. I’ve never done it,” Henderson added. “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!”
During Keane’s time in charge at Sunderland, the former Republic of Ireland captain gave Henderson his Premier League debut. At the age of 18, he was introduced as a half-time substitute in a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November 2008.
After Liverpool fell short in last year’s Champions League final against Real Madrid, Henderson and his Liverpool colleagues are looking to go one better on this occasion.
“We are a better side than the one that played Real Madrid in Kiev and there is no need to use that experience as motivation,” said the England international. “We want to show everyone how far we have come. We want to grasp this opportunity.”
Gavan Casey is joined by Murray Kinsella and Sean Farrell for a review of the 2018/19 season, and cast an eye forward to next year and the Rugby World Cup in Japan:
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