by There was snow on the ground, frost in the air and a big smile on Jordan Henderson’s face as he was unveiled in Amsterdam. All in all, far from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The former Liverpool captain has arrived at Ajax to help a young team erase recent struggles and return to their usual place at the top of Dutch football. He also hopes to show strong enough form to secure his place in England’s European Championship squad. However, any public account of the possible consequences of his short-term move to the Saudi Pro League remains below his agenda.
The way Henderson chose to rationalize his choice to move to Arabia is to frame himself as someone who went to the country to learn. “In life if you want to call them regrets or mistakes you can call them that,” Henderson said when asked during his unveiling at the Johan Cruyff Arena if he regretted his decision. “They’re only mistakes if you don’t learn from them and I learned a lot in Saudi. A lot of different experiences.
Related: January transfer window: Henderson regrets letting LGBTQ+ fans down, Spurs talks Nusa – live
“I don’t have a bad word to say about anyone over there in the league, or the club. I will have friends over there that I will talk to forever. There are still positives to come from it and in the end it didn’t turn out the way we both wanted it to and we ended it on great terms.”
The exact reasons for Henderson’s departure and the specific terms of his separation from the Saudi Pro League are unknown. Sports matters were probably involved, due to the very low quality of the reformed Pro League. It is also widely understood that the English had to waive a significant amount of money to make his move. Regardless, both sides decided the best way to proceed was amicably, with the Pro League on its side thanking Henderson for his five months of service.
Perhaps that explains, then, why Henderson would only give formal and informed answers when it came to human rights issues and his broken reputation as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. When asked if his choice to return to Europe was a concern about sports washing, Henderson said “that was not the case at all”. When asked if, now that he was back in a country where homosexuality was not illegal, he might look to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community and build some bridges, he chose to avoid the question.
“I said six months ago if I offended anyone or I feel I let them down, I apologize for that and I will apologize again,” he said. “My faith has never changed, never will and again I can only apologise. I have not changed as a person. I want to continue to focus on football.”
Henderson has a specific apology: ‘I’m sorry if you’re hurt’, not ‘I’m sorry I did what I did’. It is unlikely to undo any of the distress he has caused, by giving the impression that support for equality depends on who is paying your wages. On the other hand, it’s hard for inquirers to get buy-in on this couched and coached answer. The answers are the same as they have been for the past six months and, perhaps, people will soon get tired of asking the questions. (Ditto questions the money involved in all this. When asked if he was moving to the Netherlands rather than returning to England to avoid tax, he said: “Don’t believe what you read in the newspapers .”)
Perhaps the most revealing part of a deliberately truncated press conference came when Henderson spoke about his feelings about the controversy that ensued. “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m not hurt but at the same time I understand,” he said. “I do not care. People may think not, but I don’t care about other people. I never tried to hurt anyone I never meant to. Of course I’m injured but it’s an integral part of life and football. It makes you stronger. I just want to focus on getting back to playing football with Ajax and doing the best for this football club.”
No doubt Henderson wanted to avoid talking about the past, he was comfortable with the decision he made this week. Henderson signed for Ajax on a two-and-a-half-year deal, with the remit of steadying and leading a group of young players scarred by a disastrous first half of the Eredivisie season but still hoping for the Champions League. quality at the end of.
Henderson said he was coming on board because Ajax “is one of the biggest clubs in the world, the biggest club in the Netherlands”. It was a great opportunity, he said, “for me to come to a huge club, try to help this club go forward and be as successful as possible”.
Extremely relaxed, he even laughed when one Dutch journalist described him as “aged like a fine English wine”. The 33-year-old will wear No. If his new number dictates a more disciplined position in midfield than his brief at Liverpool, then Henderson says he is happy, willing to take on a leadership role at the club previously held by the likes of Dusan Tadic and Daley Blind.
“I don’t mind, I’ll do whatever is asked,” he said of his favorite position. “I played a lot for both. Liverpool and England. I have alternated between the two for the past five years. I have experience in both positions and whatever the team needs in certain games and whatever the coach decides I will do whatever I can.
“They did incredible jobs, Tadic and Dall. They are great players and people. But I don’t want to compare with anyone else. I want to come here and be myself.”
Back in Europe but away from the direct spotlight of English football, Henderson could continue to play his game without having to deal with any of the external realities he seemed to want to face. tackled them before. England might come calling too. Gareth Southgate picked up Henderson during the autumn and the player was in no way shy about his ambitions for the coming summer.
“I’ve always had the Euros and England in mind,” he said. “It’s a big thing to play for my country. It’s always been like that wherever I’ve played. I have to do my job on the pitch for Ajax and that is my main priority. I’m going to eat breath and Ajax to sleep.”
