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Jordan Henderson has revealed he did not swap shirts with Lionel Messi following Liverpool's Champions League clash with Barcelona last season - because of a lesson he learnt from Roy Keane.

Keane was Henderson's manager when the Liverpool skipper was at Sunderland - and the former Manchester United great told his players never to take part in the time-honoured tradition of the shirt swap.

Doing so suggests you're in awe of them, was the lesson from Keane, who as a player was known for his uncompromising style.

And it was perhaps a good job Henderson heeded his former mentor's advice.

Liverpool looked like they were on their way out of the Champions League when they lost 3-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of their semi-final at Camp Nou just less than a year ago.

(Image: Getty)

Messi scored twice - including a stunning free-kick - after Luis Suarez had given Barca the lead against his former side.

It was Henderson's first experience of being on a pitch with Messi - and the Reds midfielder said it was a world away from watching him on television.

"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," said Henderson.

"Thinking about his free-kick now, I still can't believe he scored it. I actually thought he was going to take it short.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

"I've told you how good I think Ali [Alisson] is, but Messi put that shot in the one area Ali couldn't protect. The whip, the pace, the precision - it was absolutely perfect."

But even that Messi masterclass didn't persuade Henderson to ignore Keane's missive.

"Did I think about asking for his shirt? No. I've never done it," he said.

"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."

(Image: Press Association)

As it transpired there was no need for hero worship, as Liverpool stunned Barca with a 4-0 win at Anfield in the second leg, en route to lifting their sixth European Cup after they beat Tottenham in the all-English final.

But Henderson did go home from the Camp Nou leg with one Blaugrauna shirt - that of his former team-mate Suarez, despite the Reds skipper having clashed with the Uruguayan during their time together at Liverpool.

"As it turned out, I came home with Luis Suarez's shirt," Henderson said.

"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!"

(Image: Getty Images)

Henderson has said he once "exploded" at Suarez after being frustrated by the striker's histrionics during training.

“At the time I was trying to do the best I could do and it comes as a footballer, the criticism and people doubting you,” Henderson told Jamie Carragher on The Greatest Game podcast.

“At the time I was a young player and there was one or two things Luis did in training that I didn’t like and it made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be in the same team.

“The arms would go up – it was like, ‘what’s he doing’, as if I shouldn’t be there. It really hurt and frustrated me.

“He did it one, two, three times and then I exploded and I was ready to kill him!

“But from that point I had a really good relationship with Luis, I actually set him up the game after that.”