Martin Keown: Henry Was so Popular Arsenal Wanted to Charge Him for Shirt-Swaps

Much has been made of shirt-swapping this week after Mario Balotelli swapped shirts with Pepe at half-time of a 3-0 Real Madrid win over Liverpool. 

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown weighed in on the issue in his Daily Mail column (h/t Daily Mirror) and also made a revelation about Thierry Henry's shirt-swapping antics during his reign at Arsenal. 

Henry's shirt was so popular among opposition that Arsenal shirt-makers wanted him to start paying for the shirts he was giving away. 

"With Thierry Henry so many asked for his shirt that the club threatened to start making him pay for ones he gave away!" Keown wrote. "I can't imagine why somebody wouldn't want my shirt over Thierry's." 

As for Balotelli, Keown disagreed with the swap. 

"While it's one thing swapping shirts after a game, it's another doing it at half-time," he wrote. "That's inappropriate, especially when you're losing." 

[Daily Mirror]