‘Jordan Henderson caused trouble and my relationship with Jurgen Klopp changed’

Jordan Henderson was a leader, motivator and an engine for Liverpool, but one person who frequently visited Anfield labelled the England international as something else

In the eyes of many Liverpool fans, Jordan Henderson was an Anfield leader and legend. However, iconic German referee Dr Felix Brych described the England midfielder as a “troublemaker”.

Henderson, 34, was often the loudest player on the pitch throughout his time at Liverpool. While his voice was mainly used for barking out instructions and encouragement to his team-mates, he also reserved plenty of noise for the officials.

Brych understands this better than most, having officiated Henderson in Liverpool’s European matches. The referee, who hung up the whistle for good at the end of the Bundesliga campaign, offered an insight into what it was like to referee Liverpool when Henderson was wearing the armband.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Brych said: “I got along with all the players very well. But in every game there was always my troublemaker.

“Looking back on many games at Anfield with Liverpool, when I saw Jordan Henderson, I knew I had to keep an eye on him. He was talking all throughout the game.

“Also, James Milner. Sometimes he was quiet, sometimes he was talking a lot and like you do, you talk in a different way. In Germany, talking is much more aggressive. In England you talk in a different way, I knew that before the game.”

When quizzed on what the now Ajax midfielder used to say to him, the ex-referee added: “‘Come on, it’s not a foul. You can do it in Germany, but in England we want to let the game flow.’ It was always this kind of trash talk, but I liked it and I got used to it. It was fun and games.”

Brych also remembered his first interaction with Klopp in the early 2000s. While their exchange was pleasant at the time, he had to park any niceties he had with his compatriot so opposing sides didn’t think there was any favouritism going on.

He added: “I met Jurgen Klopp in Germany 20 years ago, but in England it was a different relationship with him. If you know someone better than the others, they think you might favour them. I cannot give any kind of bonus to anybody.”

Brych walked away from refereeing at the end of the German football season after taking charge of 359 Bundesliga matches. As well as his domestic tally, which is a Bundesliga record, Brych also officiated 69 matches in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Klopp departed Liverpool at the end of last season after eight years in charge of the Reds. He has since gone on to become the head of global soccer at the Red Bull football franchise, where he has been advising on playing philosophy, scouting and other aspects of the set-up.

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