Jordan Henderson: Wembley fans booing won’t stop me giving everything for England | Football News

Jordan Henderson hit back at the England supporters who booed him during Friday’s win over Australia, describing the abuse as ‘disappointing’.

However, he insisted: “It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.”

With Harry Kane an unused substitute in the friendly, Henderson captained England at Wembley, his first game in the country since leaving Liverpool to join Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq in the summer.

LGBTQ+ supporters groups connected to both Liverpool and England criticised the move, given Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the fact homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia. Henderson had been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time as Liverpool captain.

Last month, Henderson gave an interview to The Athletic explaining his decision, although his reasoning drew further criticism.

Henderson was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd when he was replaced by Kalvin Phillips in the 62nd minute against Australia. Speaking after the match, he said he hadn’t heard the booing himself but said it wouldn’t affect his commitment to the England national team.

“Everybody has got their own opinion,” he said, when told about the boos. “I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here. I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country.

“To lead the team out tonight means an awful lot to me and my family. Another special night and we got the win which is the most important thing.

“It’s not nice, your own fans, if they were booing. But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it’s always been positive stuff and nice things said.

“But listen, it won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.”

Asked if he understood why people were booing, he said: “Erm, not really. I don’t know… do you?”

When told it may be because of his move to Saudi Arabia, he responded: “Yeah, so… if people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine. Like I said, everyone is going to have an opinion over 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.

“But when I’m here with England, it doesn’t change anything. I give absolutely everything. 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.”

His England head coach Gareth Southgate was staunch in his defence of Henderson during his post-match press conference, describing him as “phenomenally important” to the team and a “role model for the group”.

Southgate also said he couldn’t understand what the booing was for and said supporters should get behind him and the rest of the team when they play again at Wembley on Tuesday, in an important Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.

Henderson said he had appreciated the support from Southgate. “The gaffer has been really good as always, to be honest, I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads to be fair,” he said.

“So it’s nice to know that you’ve got the backing of the manager and your team-mates but that’s never been in doubt for me. That’s always been the case.”

Henderson: ‘I’m not a politician’

Asked if he’d been surprised by the scale of the reaction to his move, Henderson said: “No, 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.

“But as I keep on saying, it doesn’t change the person that I am. I’m playing football in a different country in Saudi where I want to try to improve the game on the pitch but also things off the pitch as well. That’s all I keep trying to do.”

Quizzed on what he meant by ‘things off the pitch’, Henderson said he was talking about the structure of Al Ettifaq and the Saudi Pro League, rather than societal issues in Saudi Arabia.

“Yeah, the football, I’m not a politician. You know what I mean? I’m not going to get into politics,” he said.

“All I’ve ever done is concentrate on my football and try to help people that have asked for my help.

“When I’m going out there, I’m just playing football trying to improve the league, trying to improve my own team and trying to win football games. I do the same when I come here.”

Henderson on impact on his game from playing in Saudi: ‘I feel as good as ever’

Aside from the controversial off-field issues around Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia, his switch to a league of a lower standard than the Premier League has also been used as an argument by his critics who say Southgate should no longer be selecting him for England duty.

However, Henderson dismissed suggestions his performances for England may suffer because he is playing in the Saudi Pro League. Instead, he suggested the physical work he has to do to perform in Saudi Arabia’s warmer climate is actually of benefit to him when he joins up with the England squad.

“I’m playing in that league now and I’m still here, still playing,” he said when asked about how the move could affect his chances of continuing to play for England or be selected for the Euros squad.

“I had conversations before with the manager, what I thought was the right move for me at that time with everything that was going on at Liverpool as well.

“So it was a big decision, but one where I felt as though I could still be playing regularly. Maybe not in a top league like the Premier League, of course. But I think when you’re talking about that, you’re talking about physical attributes and physical attributes isn’t a problem for me.

“I’m an experienced player, I know how to play football, you don’t forget that when you just go out and play in a different league. So when I’ve been back here, when I’ve trained, when I’ve played games, I felt as good as ever really.

“Yeah, well, of course [there is a step up from Saudi football to training with England team-mates] but I’m used to that with these players. I’ve been playing with these players for a long time now. So when I come in and train with them, of course, the level goes up but I feel normal and it’s the same for me.

“I feel as fit as I ever have. Probably because over there the conditions are quite hard at times with the weather and the humidity and the warm. So when I’ve come here, I’ve felt pretty good and in training and the games I have felt really good. So hopefully that can continue.

“I mean, look at my numbers physically and my output in a game, whether that’s in Saudi, whether that’s here for England, I don’t see that as an issue.

“That’s why I want to keep on playing as long as I possibly can for England because it means a lot to me and always has done and I want to try and help the team become successful in games here but also in big tournaments and hopefully, I can keep performing, I can keep fit and then stay in the squad for the tournament next summer.”

Henderson: Saudi World Cup would be a special tournament

Henderson was also speaking for the first time since he publicly backed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Cup in 2034.

“I think by that time they will put on a pretty good World Cup, to be honest,” he said. “So I think that’s exciting times for them as a country and I think it will be a special tournament if they ended up getting it.”

He also believes it would be a positive experience for football fans.

“I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that,” he said.

“So again, I think they’ll enjoy the experience there. It is a long waiting time from now, but I think they’ll enjoy the experience there.

“When we look at Qatar, the way that they did the job there. It was a good tournament, I think the fans enjoyed the tournament and I think Saudi would be no different.”

Follow coverage of England vs Italy on Tuesday on the Sky Sports website and App; kick-off 7.45pm