Jordan Henderson wouldn’t ask for Messi’s jersey because of Roy Keane

Classic Roy.

Jordan Henderson has come a long way since his early days at Sunderland in the Premier League when he was managed by Roy Keane, but the Cork man's influence has stayed with the England midfielder. On Saturday, he will lead Liverpool out in Madrid in the Champions League Final against Spurs, although we've spoken at length before about how we're not really sure what he does for the team, but they certainly play better with him in the side. Maligned at times, he brings and energy and intensity to his performances and while he'll never be the best footballer around in his position, there's no doubting the man is effective. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the Liverpool midfielder outlined his thoughts on the semi-final win against Barcelona and because of Roy Keane, why he didn't ask for Messi's jersey.

"I’ve told you how good I think Ali is but Messi put that shot in the one area Ali couldn’t protect," Henderson said.

"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," Henderson added. "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!"