Henderson's Saudi excuses just don't wash
The only person the ex-Liverpool captain is trying to convince is himself
Jordan Henderson prided himself on being squeaky clean as Liverpool captain.
When several of his teammates were either agitating for moves away or doing themselves a disservice in various guises, he remained Anfield's key constant.
It previously appeared that nothing could tarnish Henderson's legacy as someone who embodied everything which the Reds traditionally stood for. At a club where ‘This Means More’ runs deeper than a mere marketing slogan, he not only led by example in helping maintain the standards that Jurgen Klopp upholds on the pitch but also spearheading positive causes off it. He instigated the Players Together initiative, set up to provide much-needed funding for the NHS during COVID-19, and was also a champion of the LGBTQ+ community.
That all changed this summer when Henderson ended a 12-year stay with Klopp’s side in favour of linking up with his ex-sparring partner Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia. At the time, his move to Al-Ettifaq made no logical sense. It still doesn't, in truth.
Similarly, his attempt this week to justify that defection to the Saudi Pro League in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic is hogwash. The overriding messages that emerged from that piece included a thinly veiled non-apology to the LGBTQ+ community for now playing his trade in a country where homosexuality is heavily criminalised. The wording of 'I'm sorry that I've made them feel that way' was freshly plucked from the Conservative Party's playbook while a half-hearted pledge to consider wearing rainbow laces again was caveated with a warning that he wouldn't 'disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia'.
Henderson also made the laughable claim that his presence in the country is 'only a positive thing' given the longstanding values which he claims to still hold. But he has already wasted little time in doing the Kingdom's bidding judging by his latest tweet on X (formerly Twitter), which was written in Arabic and reads like an unashamed piece of state propaganda. Poring over his reasons for leaving Liverpool feels almost trivial in comparison to those hollow remarks, which were roundly rejected by the club's LGBTQ+ group Kop Outs on Tuesday, and rightly so.
But they are equally frivolous and reminiscent of a toddler throwing their toys out of the pram as Henderson alleged that a lack of regular playing time with Klopp's side this season ahead of Euro 2024 was the real tipping point. If he genuinely believes the Saudi Pro League will offer him the level of competitive minutes and exposure which will keep him in Gareth Southgate's thoughts, there is a rude awakening coming the 33-year-old's way very soon.
His claims of feeling unwanted by the Anfield hierarchy also conveniently ignores how he was already midway through a four-year contract awarded to him in 2021, just months after the club wilfully surrendered its first-ever Premier League title while his first-team role was already winding down. Unfortunately for Henderson, he lacked the versatility which made James Milner, who also left the red half of Merseyside this summer, such a valuable commodity. Operating in the engine room requires dynamism and pace; two core attributes which had already begun to elude him on a consistent basis due to the advancement of Father Time.
To suggest that he became underappreciated, even unloved, is just another excuse in Henderson's bid to convince everyone that he did not sell out both his beliefs and career by moving to the Saudi Pro League. No matter how he tries to spin it, the only person who is even remotely buying that is the one wearing Al-Ettifaq's no.10 shirt.
Postscript: Henderson spent barely six months at Al-Ettifaq before joining Ajax