17 January 2024 , 14:01
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Fair play to Jordan Henderson, he obviously loves a culture change.
From Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to Amsterdam, Holland, the latter ever so slightly more liberal than the former. At least Henderson’s championing of harmony, equality and human rights is belatedly finding a spiritual home.
For six months, of course, he had parked his conscience, sold it for a Saudi fortune but has now realised what most people tried to tell him at the time. The Saudi Pro League is a garish monstrosity, significant only for how much money it can pay footballers whose best days are well behind them.
It is not a league that has grown organically, it is not a league that is developing young talent. It is a watering hole for has-beens.
Henderson’s tale - ending with his tail between his legs - is more than a cautionary one, it is a stark warning to any top professional who believes he still has a future at the elite level. Steer clear of Saudi. It is not easy when the money is mind-boggling but there is only so much you can spend.
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And if you pride yourself on a sense of inclusiveness and compassion - as Henderson once did when he spoke up for LGBT+ rights - you can hold onto your reputation. Henderson’s reputation is damaged, make no mistake, but there is no point in kicking a multi-millionaire footballer when he is down. And considering his hefty book of work with Liverpool and with England, his rapid, dollar-inspired descent into hypocrisy will eventually become only a footnote in any assessment of his career.
Whether that career will feature an international swan song at Euro 2024 is another matter. Gareth Southgate’s loyalty is becoming the stuff of legend and he has few lieutenants more trusted than 33-year-old Henderson.
Jordan Henderson's Saudi adventure is over after six months (Getty Images)Do you agree with Andy Dunn? Let us know in the comments below!
But, essentially, Henderson has wasted five months of the club season leading up to a major tournament and while Ajax remains a blue-chip European club, they have been in a state of utter disarray until very recently. They are 23 points adrift of table-topping PSV (although, to be fair, the leaders have won 17 of 17) in a league that is a big step-up in standard from the Saudi Pro League but a rung or even a couple down from other major European competitions.
When the Dutch national team beat the Republic of Ireland in November to secure their place in Germany this summer, only TWO of the starting eleven were based in the Netherlands. Consistently losing the majority of your best homegrown players to other leagues is a reflection of the strength of your own competition. It is only a slight exaggeration to label the Eredivisie as a feeder league for the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Serie A.
And while Henderson has been counting his millions in forty-degree misery, younger, combative England midfielders have been showing off their wares. The likes of Conor Gallagher, Rico Lewis and even former internationals such as James Ward-Prowse and Ross Barkley, for example. There are others, as well.
At least Southgate will now feel it is worth going to watch Henderson play club football and if he shines for Ajax, he will continue to be part of the England plans. To give his England career a fitting ending, Henderson might just have got out of Saudi in time. But his Saudi story should be a warning to any ambitious top-level professional... steer clear of it in the first place.