Henderson Bangs The Drums Ahead Of The Champions League Final

It’s fun when Liverpool is in the Champions League final. It feels good. I like it and I could get used to it. More finals, more trophies, more fun. We should really do this more often. Also more karate kicks, more poorly-imitated karate kicks, more fun.

It’s been an incredible run through the competition for Jürgen Klopp’s team. Many goals have been scored for the cause, much defending was solidified and many a Liverpool player rose to great heights to achieve the club’s trip to the final in Kiev.

Jordan Henderson knows plenty about the quality throughout his teammates and the level they’ve risen to in the Champions League this season. Real Madrid will be a formidable opponent but the captain is confident in his side’s ability to get at Los Blancos as long as the players focus on the game.

“Real know how to win. They are a team of winners and have world class players all over the pitch,” Henderson said.

“They will have hunger I’m sure to do it again but we’ve been brilliant in the Champions League. If we’re brave and play like we know we can then we can hurt them.

“I’m sure people will say we are the underdogs and we probably are but we will be ready to give everything.

“We’ve played some fantastic teams throughout the competition. We managed to beat Man City and Roma over two legs. We’ve got a lot of belief and we need to use that on Saturday. On our day we can beat anyone.”

Henderson arrived at Liverpool in the weirdest of times, with the weirdest mix of transfers. These were the weird days when weird things happened. And weird players were brought in for weird reasons and for weird amounts of money.

But the ex-Sunderland man didn’t let the weird get him. He stayed and played through it. Then he became captain. Henderson knows what winning the Champions League means to Liverpool. He knows the history of the club. He knows the glory of the past. He knows the frustrations of the modern age. He will now captain Liverpool into the biggest final in club football knowing exactly what a great leap it would be if the team win.

Did somebody say, “A new era of Liverpool success”?

“The important thing is doing your job. We haven’t won anything yet and at the end of the day that is what you will be judged on as a team.

“In 20 or 30 years, you’ll look back and say Liverpool won the European Cup in 2018, you won’t say they qualified for a semi or a final.

“The biggest thing for us is to go that one step further and win. You are remembered for winning trophies.

“I hope there are a lot more opportunities in the next few years for us as a team because I feel as though we are good enough, we have a world-class manager and we are going in the right direction.

“But this would be our first one in a while and getting over that first hurdle as a team, winning the Champions League would be a massive step.

”I see how hungry this team are to be successful. The manager has created a special dressing room with special players. It could be a special night.”