JORDAN HENDERSON insists he will not walk away from international football despite being booed off the Wembley pitch by England fans on Friday night.
Eyebrows were raised when Henderson swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million (€14 million) deal.
The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s double-header against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different when he captained England in their first home match since his controversial move.
There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before the 1-0 friendly win against Australia but a vocal minority very audibly jeered when he was replaced in the second half.
“It’s not nice, your own fans (booing),” he said.
“Everybody has got their own opinion. 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 meant an awful lot to me and my family. Another special night and we got the win which is the most important thing.
“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.
“It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.”
England manager Gareth Southgate questioned those supporters who decided to boo his vice-captain, with Henderson admitting he was also unsure why – even if he accepted he would face criticism for his move to Saudi.
Asked if he understood the jeers, the 33-year-old replied: “Not really. I don’t know… 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.
“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.
“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.”
Asked about Southgate’s public support and continued selection, the former Sunderland youngster added: “Yes, the gaffer has been really good as always.
“I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads.
“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 may have switched Merseyside for the Middle East but he feels enough at home to have already backed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
The country abandoned a 2030 joint-bid with Greece and Egypt and announced their solo pitch on 4 October – with Henderson involved in the promotional video.
“By that time I think they will put on a pretty good World Cup, to be honest,” Henderson said about taking part in the bid.
“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.
“I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that.
“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.”
