Jordan Henderson couldn’t bring himself to flick on any Premier League football – let alone Liverpool matches – when at home in Saudi Arabia, grappling the lifestyle change, new league and stifling climate.
The way the England midfielder describes that feeling of emptiness at waving goodbye to Anfield after 12 years makes it sound as if he fetched the dressing gown, brought the duvet downstairs and reached for the Cadbury.
‘It felt like a break-up,’ he says. ‘Really tough. It had been my life for so long and then it is just gone like that.’
Henderson clicks his fingers, adding: ‘I struggled for a period after that. I had such an attachment and I dedicated a large part of my life there.’
Remarkably it’s only two years since he joined Al-Ettifaq, the move sold to him by manager Steven Gerrard. Henderson lasted only six months of a £350,000-a-week contract where wages were deferred for tax reasons.
Previously a public advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, his reputation took a severe hit, and even though living halfway around the world, that criticism will have been inescapable. Despite moving to Ajax five months before the European Championship, Gareth Southgate didn’t take him and the ex-Liverpool skipper rented a luxury van with a driver to go to and from the Netherlands with his family for the final in Berlin.
England star Jordan Henderson has opened up on his ‘really tough’ exit from Liverpool in 2023
The ex-Reds captain guided Liverpool to multiple trophies before leaving for Saudi Arabia
Henderson joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq on a deal worth £350,000 per week in 2023
‘I don’t think it was the reason why I missed the Euros,’ he contends. ‘When I was in Saudi I think I was in every camp prior to the Euros. [But] in hindsight, maybe I would have made different decisions.
‘But at the time that is how I felt and the decision I made was for many different reasons and only I know the reasons. In the end, I tried to do the right thing.’
Ajax reignited some passion, some belonging, and Henderson hopes more performances for Brentford like his in slender defeat by Manchester City on Sunday can force a way into Thomas Tuchel’s preferred starting XI. Four appearances under Tuchel so far, one of them a start, with Henderson’s experience – and perhaps close bond with Jude Bellingham – seen as key qualities the veteran can offer heading into the World Cup.
The 35-year-old bristles at those suggestions, the narrative that Tuchel has consistently picked him for aspects other than his ability as a central midfielder.
‘I have shown what I can do for England over the years,’ he says. ‘I am still playing at a high level. Outside, people can think what they want. The most important people are the manager, the coaching staff and the players and what they think.
‘Ask them what they think, if I am a cheerleader when I am here. I don’t think one of the best managers in Europe would be choosing me just to do that. If I have to speak to younger players, that should be a given, really. It is natural that the older you get, the more experienced you are, of course you want to pass on those experiences to younger players coming into camp.’
So to Bellingham. Somebody whose absence for this month’s internationals has stolen more focus than the actual games, a friendly against Wales and World Cup qualifier in Latvia. Bellingham wanted to join the group after returning from shoulder surgery for Real Madrid in recent weeks – albeit with only one start – but Tuchel took a different outlook, explaining he was keeping broadly the same group as September.
Bellingham’s influence in the dressing room, the long shadow of his parents and the midfielder’s on-pitch attitude are all reasonable debating points around the country’s finest footballer. In Henderson, he has an ally, the pair clicking immediately when Bellingham made his debut five years ago this month. Henderson presented him his cap before a friendly against Austria at the Riverside and is also somebody who has been known to become exuberant on the pitch.
He has a new lease of life at Brentford and has kept his spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad
Henderson was picked in midfield while England superstar Jude Bellingham (above) was not
‘Maybe that’s why I get booed a lot!’ Henderson laughs. ‘For players, the perception outside… those outside don’t know, do you know what I mean?
‘The players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player. He is a world-class player and a world-class person, and he makes the England team even better because of the type of player that he is. He has got an elite mentality.
‘He is very special. We have a few special players in this squad, to be fair. But with Jude, I think we all knew he was a very special player when he first came into the squad.
‘The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, loves the game, wants to improve and there is the ability that he has on the pitch.
‘He has been injured for a good few months. I know what he is like, he will be focused on his football, focused on making sure that he is as fit as possible, so when he returns he is flying.’
