Henderson: The difficult farewell to Liverpool and his time in Arabia

Henderson Reflects on His Liverpool Departure and Its Personal Impact

The footballer Jordan Henderson has shared his reflections on his departure from Liverpool, comparing the experience to a “breakup” and admitting to having faced “difficult moments” following his controversial transfer to Saudi Arabia. The midfielder, who now plays for Brentford, recounted how the change of club, after a long career at Liverpool, was a complicated process.

I felt like a rupture. It was difficult.

Jordan Henderson

Henderson also revealed that he avoided watching English football matches and, in particular, those of Liverpool, after his departure, joking about choosing the most distant place to distance himself from the situation.

The English footballer, who returned to the Premier League this summer, admitted to having had difficulties after ending his 12-year relationship with Liverpool. The move to Saudi Arabia drew criticism, especially due to his previous stance in defense of LGBTQ+ rights, which led him to publicly apologize. Henderson emphasized the importance of learning from negative experiences and using them to grow as a person and a player.

I’m not going to lie, in the last two years I’ve had difficult moments. But when you come out the other side, you look back, you learn a lot about yourself and it makes you stronger, it makes you think differently.

Jordan Henderson

Henderson also backed Jude Bellingham to recover from his disappointment at not being called up for England and to further improve Tuchel’s team. Henderson highlighted the importance of not being influenced by external opinions and praised Bellingham’s attitude. The Brentford footballer regularly uses criticism as “fuel”, and remains firm under Tuchel’s management.