October 16 – Jordan Henderson has reacted to being booed in England’s international friendly versus Australia at Wembley on Friday evening despite donning the captain’s armband in his side’s 1-0 victory over the Socceroos.
The midfielder was the subject of jeers and whistles for the duration of his performance which could be heard especially loud upon his substitution in the 62nd minute. The game marked the first time Henderson had played for the Three Lions since his controversial transfer to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
“It’s not nice, your own fans [booing]. I love playing for England,” he said. “I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here.”
Henderson, who has been capped 79 times, added: “I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country.”
After the game, England boss Gareth Southgate defended his veteran midfielder: “It defies logic that you would give a player who is playing and putting his heart and soul into playing for England. Why boo him?” Southgate said.
Henderson was an avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ ‘rainbow laces’ campaign during his time with Liverpool and earned a glittering reputation amongst the homosexual community for his continued support for their cause.
He publicly grilled host nation Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, where homosexuality is illegal, only to move six months later to neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has a similar stance on the LGBTQ+ community, and now plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq under former teammate Steven Gerrard’s management, following a £12m move.
When asked post-match on Friday if he understood why he was jeered, Henderson added: “Not really. I don’t know… 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.”
England’s attention now turns to Tuesday night’s Euro Qualifier as they face Italy at Wembley in a repeat of the delayed Euro 2020 final won by the Italians.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734928966labto1734928966ofdlr1734928966owedi1734928966sni@g1734928966niwe.1734928966yrrah1734928966