Jordan Henderson was at secondary school when Steven Gerrard made his first official steps as Liverpool captain - but 11 years on he's proud to be able to label the Reds talisman a friend and role model.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the day Sami Hyypia passed the armband to Gerrard, Henderson has offered a stunning, earnest tribute to his skipper, citing in particular the personal debt of gratitude he owes the 34-year-old.

October 15, 2003 brought Kopites a first glimpse of Gerrard in the coveted role as he strode out at Anfield for his first official game as captain - a 3-0 UEFA Cup first-round second-leg win over Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana.

More than a decade on, Gerrard still leads by example - and Henderson belives the No.8's off-pitch personality is as vital to his continued presence as the phenomenal milestones the Scouser continues to achieve on the field.

"Stevie's probably not only the best captain for Liverpool and before with England, but in the game itself," the 24-year-old explained in an interview with the official Liverpool FC magazine.

"Being around him has benefited me a lot. It's been huge. Every day I watch him. It's his desire to improve. He's been the best and most influential player here for such a long time but he still wants to get better.

"He takes training really seriously and sets the tone for how things should be. Everyone else follows. He does a lot of things that people on the outside don't see. On the pitch he's a great leader. You can see the goals, the passes and the tackles he makes; the way he inspires the team.

"But off the pitch he conducts himself brilliantly too. He's a genuinely nice person and everybody in the squad knows they can go to him. The most important thing is he puts the team in front of everybody else including himself. The most important thing is the team."

Henderson believes one of the most vital advances he has made since working alongside Gerrard at Melwood has been in learning to deal with the disappointments that can accompany playing at football's highest level.

"That was one of the biggest things that I needed to come to terms with when I first came here," admitted the midfielder. "I was 20, 21 when I joined and when you're young, you can dwell on things quite a lot. It's one area where I've improved a lot.

"At the end of the day you can't change what's happened. You can only influence what happens in the future. As long as you learn from mistakes, you'll be fine.

"When we have a bad result or I have a bad performance, it isn't nice. It hurts, it ruins your evening. But the next day you've got to move on, taking the negatives and the positives."