CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

more torture, even if he now accepts he was not fit enough to play.

Two years later, and he is not only playing, but leading the side Klopp has shaped in his image, in the sense of a selfless team ethic that is always more important that individual brilliance, even if you are Mo Salah.

For Henderson, the defeat, somehow, was pivotal in making Liverpool. “It was such a disappointing night and hurt so much you wanted to go home and switch off for a few days,” he said.

“But Jurgen said we had to use it. I definitely remember that night. You can see how he’s taken the team forward since then. He wanted to use that experience of that final to keep us together and as a positive going forward.”

And how. Only three players from the squad that night will start in Kiev against Real Madrid, but Henderson and James Milner provide a seamless bridge to that evening, and those feelings.

Now, the skipper says, Liverpool will not fear another agonising post-match party, even against a Madrid side aiming to lift the trophy for a third time in a row.

“Throughout the season there has always been that belief in the team that we can beat anyone. That is what we feel - we have to go and show that on the pitch against Madrid.

“Manchester City have been brilliant in the Premier League. They’re a fantastic team. We beat them over two legs. We’ve a lot of belief in ourselves as a team, we need to use that on Saturday. If we do we can definitely hurt them.”

LIVERPOOL’S Sadio Mane was swamped at a Manchester mosque as excitement for the Champions League continues to build. And it didn’t even matter he was praying in the city of the Reds’ fiercest rivals. Mane, a devout Muslim, was seen mingling with fans...