Jordan Henderson, a former captain of Liverpool, will claim ignorance when questioned about England supporters jeering him last week.
When Jordan Henderson led England onto the pitch at Wembley on Friday night, he was met with a reception that was anything but warm.
Harry Kane was given the captain’s armband by Gareth Southgate against Australia, and he led a much-changed team out in front of an 81,116-strong crowd in the former Liverpool captain’s first game on English soil following his contentious switch to Al-Ettifaq in the summer.
Before kickoff, as the two sides were announced, his name was greeted by a chorus of boos from some sections of the home fans. The 33-year-old was subsequently substituted by Kieran Trippier in the 62nd minute, and the boos grew much louder.
Henderson and Southgate would both express amusement at the boos of the midfielder following the game on Friday.
“I’m genuinely at a loss for words. He is a player with 79 England caps,” according to Southgate. “His dedication and the work he has done for England are extraordinary.
“His role is extremely crucial both on and off the pitch… People made the decision to boo. I’m actually not sure what that is for.”
Henderson would voice his disappointment at such a reaction, having initially pretended he hadn’t heard the booing and didn’t know why he had received such treatment.
“Really not. I have no idea why I was booed. Do you?” Before it was suggested to him, he questioned reporters if it might have anything to do with his relocation to Saudi Arabia. “It’s okay if people want to boo me if I’m performing in another nation. Everyone will have an opinion about playing in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve previously discussed the causes of that. It is up to the public whether they trust us or not. However, nothing changes when I’m here with England.
“I give everything I have. It’s disappointing, of course, but it won’t affect what I do in this place. I want to continue competing and contribute to the team’s success. If your own fans were booing, it is not nice. However, everyone has their own viewpoints.”
Henderson was visibly surprised by the boos he received from fans who were either unaware of or blind to the full magnitude of the backlash his contentious departure from Anfield has sparked on domestic territory, away from his recent move to a Middle Eastern Ivory Tower. Football players do, it must be stated, live in a bubble. However, this one has undeniably ruptured.
If he weren’t working in a nation where only 63,780 people have actually seen him play, it might have come as less of a surprise. His eight Saudi Pro League appearances combined have a paltry crowd compared to Friday night’s Wembley attendance.
The 33-year-old’s largest Saudi Arabian audience was 14,045 when he reunited with Roberto Firmino last month and played away at Al-Ahli. At Abha two weeks previously, the lowest score was a pitiful 976.
On the other hand, 13,930 fans from the home stadium attended the season’s first game against Sadio Mane’s Al-Nassr. The most recent encounter against Al-Fateh is the only other game at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium to take place in front of more than 5,000 spectators. It is the only Al-Ettifaq home game played in front of a crowd larger than 10,000.
That is very different from playing in front of a full house at Anfield, Wembley, or even the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. When Henderson was jeered on Friday night, he at least got a taste of the audiences he used to perform for every week.
Many things have been written about Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia, from his downplaying of the financial incentive to his apparent rejection of the LGBT+ community, which he had been a vocal advocate of, by relocating to a nation where homosexuality is illegal and carries the death penalty. He has, at best stupidly, taken on the role of a supporter of the contentious Gulf state.
Prior to the September international break, he gave the Athletic a long interview. If Henderson had meant to persuade observers of his motivations, he failed miserably. This turned out to be a PR own goal for the Henderson team.
Now that the midfielder’s defences have failed to satisfy them, England supporters have spoken out. They also won’t be hushed. Although early signs suggest Henderson won’t start tonight when the Three Lions face Italy, there might be more jeers.
Even though Henderson remained a player who consistently divided opinion, what he accomplished on the pitch for club and country over the course of his 15-year playing career is plain to observe. But it was his conduct off the pitch, such as his support of the LGBT+ community and his work as an NHS ambassador, that won the most acclaim.
Because of the high regard in which he had previously been held, his “selling out” to Saudi Arabia was an especially painful pill to swallow. He alienated a significant percentage of his loud supporters in the Liverpool and England fanbases by doing this. Such a response has little to do with his on-field accomplishments during his 79 international appearances.
As a result, only his coworkers are left to uphold his damaged reputation.
Henderson may keep his head in the sand and count his millions from Saudi Arabia while claiming to have no idea why he was jeered at Wembley. But whether he actually doesn’t know or is simply looking the other way out of convenience, both possibilities serve to highlight why his relocation to Saudi Arabia was initially so objectionable.