Jordan Henderson: 'Boos won't change my commitment to England'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 16 October 2023

Jordan Henderson says that boos from England supporters - due to his transfer to the Saudi Pro League - will not affect his commitment to representing his country.

Jordan Henderson has suggested that he "can understand" why he was jeered by England supporters during Friday's friendly against Australia.

In a much-changed starting lineup, Henderson was handed the captaincy by Gareth Southgate as the Three Lions recorded a 1-0 victory over the Socceroos at Wembley Stadium.

However, the main talking point after the match was reaction to Henderson being booed by fans of the national team, a consequence of his transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

The 33-year-old had previously expressed his support for the LGBTQ+ community during his time at Liverpool, but he made the decision to sign for Al Ettifaq in the summer to play in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal.

Henderson faced fierce criticism at the time of the transfer and he has since publicly supported Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup.

England manager Gareth Southgate before the match on October 13, 2023 © Reuters

Southgate has claimed that the decision of supporters to boo Henderson 'defied logic', insisting that he cannot understand why the 79-cap international is receiving such treatment.

While Henderson has indicated that he does not agree with the reaction that he has received, he has acknowledged that is not naive as to why there is anger towards him.

As quoted by BBC Sport, Henderson said: "If people want to boo if I'm playing in a different country, that's fine. Everyone is going to have an opinion over it when I'm playing over in Saudi.

"I've spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe us or not is up to them. Of course it's disappointing, but it won't change what I do here. I want to keep playing and keep fighting and help the team become successful.

Al Ettifaq's Jordan Henderson celebrates after the match on September 21, 2023 © Reuters

"I haven't been surprised by that because I can understand the reasons in what they're saying. I look at it from a different point of view, obviously, but I can understand it and I've got to take that on the chin."

Henderson will hope to feature when England play their next Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy - again at Wembley - on Tuesday evening.

Since his move to represent Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq, Henderson has made a positive impression, contributing four assists from his eight appearances.

Al Ettifaq - who finished in seventh place in 2022-23 - are also just six points adrift of leaders Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League standings.