Jordan Henderson says his brief move to Saudi Arabia “never meant to hurt anyone” but refused to admit regret when he was introduced as an Ajax player in Amsterdam.
Henderson looked particularly relaxed and beaming as he spoke to the media at the Johan Cruyff Stadium. He even laughed when a Dutch journalist described him as having “aged like a fine English wine”. But over the ethical questions raised by his move to Al-Ettifaq, the former Liverpool captain stuck to the script and refused the opportunity to say he would reach out to LGBTQ+ fans who felt betrayed by the move.
Asked if he was hurt by the continued criticism as an LGBTQ+ ally who chose to work in a country where being gay is punishable by death, Henderson said: “I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t. Do it.” It didn’t hurt, but at the same time I understood. I really care. People may think I don’t care, but I do care about people.
“I never tried to hurt anyone; that was never my intention. If people had a certain attitude towards me, all I can do is apologize for it. Of course I was hurt, but that’s part of life and football. It makes you stronger. I just want to focus on getting back to Ajax and doing my best for this football club.”
When asked multiple times if he regretted his move to the Saudi Professional League, Henderson avoided the word. When it was suggested that he was leaving Al-Ettifaq over fears of a sports shakeout, he insisted “that’s not the case”. Instead, Henderson sees his stay in Saudi Arabia as a learning experience.
“In life, if you want to call them regrets or mistakes, you can call them that,” he said. “They are just mistakes if you don’t learn from them and I learned a lot in Saudi Arabia. A lot of different experiences. I have nothing bad to say about anyone in the league or the club. People tried to pit me against me. The family was as comfortable as possible. I would have friends there that I could always talk to. There were still positives to it, but in the end it didn’t go the way we all hoped it would and we ended it on a good note.”
Asked if he would consider reaching out to representatives of the LGBTQ+ community to try to repair relations when he returns to Europe, Henderson said: “I said six months ago that if I offended anyone or let them down, Well I apologize for that and I will apologize again. My beliefs have never changed and they will never change and I can only apologize again. I have not changed as a person. I want to continue to focus on football.”
Henderson will wear the number 6 shirt at Ajax and the former Liverpool captain admitted he had Googled to see if his favorite number 14, worn by Cruyff, had been retired (it had been). But he had no shortage of praise for his new team.
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“Ajax is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the biggest club in the Netherlands,” said Henderson, sitting next to his new No. 6 shirt. “For me, coming to a big club is a great opportunity to try and help this club move forward and be as successful as possible.
“It’s very much a football decision. I have to make the best decision for me and my family, but coming here is a football decision. It’s a huge opportunity. I want to go and I’m so excited ”