Jordan Henderson will surely feel a huge pang of regret when he sits down to watch England’s Euro 2024 campaign on television this summer.
The man who was Gareth Southgate’s midfield mainstay for so long will not be going to Germany after being left out of the provisional squad named on Tuesday.
Even at 33, Henderson would surely have been a strong candidate to make the final squad had he still been playing regularly for Liverpool. Such was the strength of Southgate’s faith in his abilities.
But Henderson’s decision to chase the vast fortunes on offer in the Saudi Arabian Pro League have now come back to bite him with his England career of 81 caps surely now finished.
His £350,000-a-week Saudi dream at Al-Ettifaq turned into a nightmare following intense criticism from LGBTQ+ campaigners, with his family struggling to settle in the Middle East.
Jordan Henderson’s England career appears to be over after Gareth Southgate left him out his provisional 30-man squad for Euro 2024
Henderson’s wife Rebecca and their children struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia, where he played for Al-Ettifaq for the first half of the season
Henderson played just six months for the Saudi Pro League club before returning to Europe having been tempted to the Middle East on wages of £350,000-per-week
A mid-season move back to Europe with Ajax hasn’t led to an England spot for the Euros
Henderson tried to retrieve the situation – and revive his Euro hopes – by signing for Ajax in January. But he found himself in a poor side that could only finish fifth in the Eredivisie amid off-field turmoil.
It all amounts to a self-inflicted fall from grace for the England regular after a year to forget.
Let’s not forget that Henderson was in the England squad as recently as March, an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw with Belgium at Wembley.
He captained the Three Lions in the friendly against Australia back in October and played in the Euro qualifiers against Italy and Malta after that.
During the Southgate era – and for some time prior to that – only injury had kept Henderson out of England’s midfield.
He was regarded as a ‘Mr Dependable’ figure in the engine room, rarely showy but full of energy and trustworthy to make the right pass or marshal team-mates. He is a model professional.
It was far from assured that Henderson would play much part out in Germany but Southgate may well have valued his vast experience around the camp.
But all that has changed and there’s an irony that his former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones could be the one to take his place.
Henderson gives the thumbs up with former Liverpool colleague Steven Gerrard, the manager of Al-Ettifaq, after he signed a three-year, £350,000-a-week contract in July 2023
Henderson came up against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League but his decision to play football in a totally different culture backfired
Surely if Henderson was still a Liverpool player, he’d still be an England player?
His £12million move to Al-Ettifaq, where Steven Gerrard was manager, after 492 games at Liverpool sparked controversy.
At the time, Henderson suggested he anticipated less playing time for Jurgen Klopp at Anfield and was of the belief that regular football for Al-Ettifaq in the burgeoning Pro League would bolster his England Euro chances.
In fairness, he was far from the only big name making a move there and the sales pitch – not to mention the significant increase in salary – must have been persuasive.
But Henderson expended considerable reputational capital in going there. He had previously expressed support to the LGBTQ+ community yet his unveiling video at Al-Ettifaq showed his rainbow armband blacked out in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Henderson argued that his move to Saudi Arabia was ‘a positive thing’ as if he might be able to influence a change of attitude from the inside.
The 33-year-old has been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ issues and faced a fierce backlash when he decided to move to Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal
Henderson’s rainbow armband, worn when he played for Liverpool, was greyed out in the Saudi Arabian club’s video announcing his transfer
Henderson was booed by some England fans as he captained the side against Australia
But that didn’t stop some England fans at Wembley booing him during the match with Australia, something which baffled Southgate.
It didn’t take long for Henderson to realise life on and off the field in the Middle East wasn’t everything he’d been led to believe.
Al-Ettifaq played one game in front of a mere 696 fans, with the majority of interest in the Kingdom reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Neymar’s Al-Hilal.
Playing in oppressive 30C heat was an ordeal and, having become accustomed to challenging for silverware with Liverpool, Henderson suddenly found himself at an also-ran.
It took just three months for reports to surface that wife Rebecca and their children were struggling to settle, despite opting to live in Bahrain, just over the King Fahd Causeway from Dammam, where his club played.
Given the experience of other footballer’s partners, who were hissed at by local women as they wore western dress in public in the highly conservative Saudi culture, the reports were unsurprising.
Henderson cut short his three-year contract after just six months – taking a hit on a hefty tax bill – to return to Europe with Ajax.
‘It wasn’t an easy decision [to leave] but one that I feel is best for me and my family,’ Henderson said in his leaving message.
Playing matches in gruelling heat, sometimes approaching 30C, was a test for Henderson during his brief stint with Al-Ettifaq
Attendances in the Saudi Pro League have struggled with one match between Al-Riyadh and Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq (pictured) attracting only 696 fans
Even though Southgate had continued selecting him, it was hoped playing a little closer to home in Amsterdam, in a better standard league, would cement one final tournament spot for the summer.
But he couldn’t have joined at a worse time. While Henderson talked up Ajax’s ‘incredible’ history and reeled off club legends in his unveiling video, the current vintage was a pale imitation.
At the time of his arrival in mid-January, Ajax were 23 points behind Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven, having been humbled by amateurs USV Hercules in the Dutch Cup and bombed out the Europa League.
Things barely improved. Ajax did indeed end up fifth, a mammoth 35 points shy of champions PSV and were humiliated by Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League.
The nadir came when bitter rivals Feyenoord thrashed them 6-0 in early April – their record Eredivisie loss. A certain Arne Slot is now poised to take over at Liverpool.
Henderson poses in Ajax kit at his unveiling in January – but the club’s glory days are gone
Henderson played 12 games for Ajax – even taking the captain’s armband – either side of injury
He was picked for England’s March friendlies but didn’t get on the field
Henderson was mercifully absent from that one thanks to a muscle injury and he managed just 12 games during a low key first few months in Dutch football.
When Southgate travelled out to watch Henderson’s Ajax debut in February, it seemed like the decision to come back to Europe was a shrewd one.
But he didn’t feature in the March internationals and now, with better options emerging, it looks like even Southgate’s long-standing loyalty has eroded away.
The news of his omission even from the larger provisional squad will come as a crushing blow to a player who made his England debut in 2010.
Career moves calculated to make absolutely sure he would go to one more tournament this summer have regrettably backfired.