British media “Sports Bible” reported on the 14th (Korea time) that “Jordan Henderson opened his mouth about the five-month controversy in Saudi Arabia.”
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson moved to Al Etihad in Saudi Arabia’s professional league under Steven Gerrard last summer. He signed a three-year contract and was paid a whopping £350,000 a week.
As Saudi Arabia made aggressive investments, it recruited many star players, and Henderson was one of them. A prominent supporter of the LGBTQ community in Liverpool, he was criticized as soon as he moved to Saudi Arabia. He told The Athletic that he was “really hurt” by the criticism and that his intention was always to help the cause and the community.
However, Henderson agreed to terminate his contract immediately after playing in only 19 first-team games.
After it was confirmed that he would leave Saudi Arabia, he said on Instagram, “I regret to leave Al Etipark immediately. It was not an easy decision, but I think it is the best decision for me and my family. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the club and the fans who have supported me. I felt so much love from the first day. I will keep watching and wish you success. I wish you all the best in the future.”
Henderson has since declined to comment on his time in Saudi Arabia, but recently admitted he made his mistake in an interview with the Dutch outlet Het Parul. He said, “In five months in Saudi Arabia, I learned a lot about myself. I thought, ‘What was my motivation? Why am I playing soccer? Soccer is in my blood.'”
He went on to add, “The Saudis are improving and they’re going to get bigger, but now I realize it’s not right for me. I made a mistake.” Henderson also said of his time in Saudi Arabia that people “don’t know the whole story,” adding that he was the only one who knew it.
After spending five months in Saudi Arabia, Henderson signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Ajax of the Netherlands League. Henderson played as a starting player for Ajax and played the second round of 16 teams against Aston Villa on Saturday (Korea time), but was eliminated with a crushing 0-4 defeat.
BY: 스포츠토토핫