Jordan Henderson

Early life

Jordan Brian Henderson was born on 17 June 1990 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and joined the youth system of his hometown club Sunderland aged eight. Henderson studied at Farringdon Community Sports College.

Club career

Sunderland

Henderson signed a professional contract with Sunderland on 1 July 2008. He made his first-team debut on 1 November in a 5–0 away defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, in which he came on as a half-time substitute. He then made his first Sunderland start and home debut against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup the following month.

In January 2009, Henderson joined Championship club Coventry City on a one-month loan. He made his Coventry debut in a 2–1 defeat to Derby County. Henderson's loan to Coventry was extended until the end of the season, and he scored the first senior goal of his career on 28 February 2009 against Norwich City. After picking up an injury, a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot, he returned to Sunderland in April 2009.

In the 2009–10 season, Henderson broke into the Sunderland first team and made 38 appearances, scoring 2 goals. He scored his first senior goal for the club against Birmingham City in the League Cup third round. He then went on to score his first Premier League goal against Manchester City on 19 December 2009.

Henderson spent the majority of the season on the right side of midfield but played centrally in the absence of Lee Cattermole; his versatility and consistency earned him a new five-year contract on 23 April 2010, keeping him with the club until 2015. He also went on to win the Sunderland Young Player of the Year award for the 2009–10 season.

Henderson was a major part of the team during the 2010–11 season making 39 appearances and scoring 3 goals, including his first league double, on 23 April at home to Wigan Athletic. On 13 January 2011, Henderson was listed on the official FIFA website as one of 13 young players to watch in 2011. He was named Sunderland's Young Player of the Year for the second season running.

Liverpool

On 9 June 2011, Henderson was transferred to Liverpool for an undisclosed fee thought to be between £16 and £20 million. He made his debut in Liverpool's first match of the 2011–12 Premier League, a 1–1 draw against his former club Sunderland where he was given a mixed reception by Sunderland fans. On 27 August, Henderson scored his first goal for Liverpool in a Premier League fixture at Anfield against Bolton Wanderers. On 26 February 2012, Henderson started on the right of midfield in Liverpool's 2012 League Cup final victory over Cardiff City before being substituted in the 58th minute. On 5 May, he played the full 90 minutes as Liverpool were beaten 2–1 by Chelsea in the 2012 FA Cup final. Henderson ended the 2011–12 season with 2 goals from 48 appearances.

In August 2012, Henderson was told he could be signed by Fulham by new manager Brendan Rodgers, but this was rejected by the player. He went on to score his first European goal for Liverpool on 6 December, with the winner against Udinese in the UEFA Europa League as the Reds qualified for the last 32.

Henderson established himself as a regular member of the Liverpool team in the 2013–14 season, playing in 40 matches and scoring 5 goals. On 29 September 2013, he made his 100th appearance for the club as Liverpool won 1–3 at Sunderland.

On 13 April 2014, he received his first career red card for a dangerous sliding tackle on Samir Nasri in a 3–2 win over Manchester City, resulting in a three-match ban that meant he would miss three of Liverpool's last four matches; without Henderson, Liverpool lost 0–2 in a home game against Chelsea and drew 3–3 with Crystal Palace, losing a 3–0 lead in just 15 minutes before the final whistle. Failure to win any of those games meant that by the time of Henderson's return from suspension, Liverpool had already been overtaken in first place by Manchester City. On 11 May 2014, the final match day of the competition, he started in Liverpool's 2–1 home win over Newcastle United only to finish second as Manchester City claimed the league title in their concurrent game.

Henderson started the 2014–15 season in good form, providing two assists in Liverpool's first three league matches, and was named as the club's vice-captain following the departure of Daniel Agger. On 29 November, Henderson started as captain for the first time for Liverpool in the Premier League against Stoke City as Steven Gerrard was an unused substitute. On 2 December, Henderson marked his 150th appearance for the club by scoring the third goal in a 3–1 win against Leicester City to confirm the win. Henderson started many Liverpool matches as captain as Gerrard was out injured or being rested on the bench. On 23 April, Henderson signed a five-year contract extension at Liverpool worth £100,000 a week.

Al-Ettifaq

On 27 July 2023, Henderson signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq for a reported transfer fee of £12 million. Al-Ettifaq were managed by Steven Gerrard, Henderson's compatriot and former teammate at Liverpool. He made his debut on 14 August in a 2–1 win against Al-Nassr in the league. On 18 January 2024, Henderson left Al-Ettifaq after his contract was mutually terminated.

Ajax

That same day, Henderson signed for Eredivisie club Ajax on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut on 3 February in a 1–1 draw with PSV at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

On 18 May 2025, Henderson scored his first and only goal for Ajax in a 2–0 win over Twente, as his side narrowly missed out on the Eredivisie title. He left Ajax and became a free agent on 9 July.

Brentford

On 15 July 2025, Henderson returned to England, signing for Premier League club Brentford on a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 17 August, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 away loss to Nottingham Forest. On 14 December, he scored his first goal for Brentford in a 1–1 draw against Leeds United. On 29 July 2026, Henderson departed Brentford after his contract was mutually terminated.

Chelsea

On 3 August 2026, Henderson joined Chelsea on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. He made his debut on 18 September against former club Brentford in the Premier League, playing the full match in Chelsea's 3–0 defeat at the Brentford Community Stadium.

On 10 October 2026, Henderson scored his first goals for Chelsea with a brace against Bournemouth in a 5–1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

International career

Youth

Henderson made his debut for the under-19s against the Czech Republic in 2009, before breaking into Stuart Pearce's under-21 squad. He scored his first goal in an England shirt in the European U21 Championship play-offs against Romania, hitting a volley from outside the box to give England the lead.

Henderson was selected in the England U21 squad for the 2011 European Championship. However, England were knocked out in the group stage. He captained the England U21 team in a 6–0 win over Azerbaijan U21 on 1 September 2011, scoring one goal in the Euro 2013 qualifier. He then scored his fourth under-21 goal in a 2–1 win away at Norway, maintaining England's 100% record in Euro 2013 qualification. On 3 February 2013, Henderson was named the England U21 Player of the Year in the inaugural year of the award. He captained the under-21 team at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior

On 11 November 2010, Henderson was omitted from England's U21 squad for their friendly with Germany, instead receiving his first call up to the senior England squad on 17 November for their friendly against France. He made his debut in the match, playing from the start in central midfield alongside Steven Gerrard.

Initially named as a standby player, Henderson was called up to the England UEFA Euro 2012 squad to replace the injured Frank Lampard. He featured in England's first match of the tournament against France, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute for Scott Parker, and again featured as a substitute, coming on during extra-time, in England's quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy.

Henderson was selected in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad to travel to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in England's opening two World Cup group matches, 2–1 defeats to Italy in Manaus, and Uruguay in São Paulo.

Henderson was also selected in England's UEFA Euro 2016 squad by Hodgson. He only played one match, playing the full 90 minutes in the final group match against Slovakia which ended 0–0 as England finished second in their group.

He was named in the England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In England's round of 16 match against Colombia, Henderson was the only Three Lions player to miss a spot-kick as the match went to penalties. England still won though, 4–3, and made it to the semi-finals. The following year, after helping his nation finish third at the inaugural UEFA Nations League and qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, Henderson was named England Player of the Year, in the process becoming the first player to win the award at both U21 and senior level.

Henderson's first ever international goal came on 3 July 2021 in the UEFA Euro 2020 quarter-final game against Ukraine, scoring England's last goal with a header of the 4–0 win as a substitute. In the final against Italy on 11 July, Henderson was a 74th minute substitute before being replaced himself by Marcus Rashford at the end of extra time as England finished as runners-up, losing to Italy on penalties.

In November 2022, Henderson was named in England's 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He scored his first World Cup goal after a link-up play with Jude Bellingham in the round of 16 against Senegal.

Player profile

Style of play

Henderson usually plays as a box-to-box midfielder, although under Klopp he was mostly used as a defensive midfielder. With the arrival of Fabinho in 2018, Henderson moved back to his original "number 8" position as a central midfielder closer to the right side of the pitch, a role in which he excels the most. A versatile player, he has also been used in a more advanced midfield role on occasion, and even as a makeshift centre-back during periods of injury crisis among Liverpool's central defenders. He is widely regarded as a player with strong work ethic, bringing energy to the team. He is also noted for his leadership, versatility, and physicality.

Described as an "athletic and hardworking midfielder", Henderson developed his game during his time at Liverpool, evolving into a more complete player; in particular, former Liverpool player Danny Murphy noted that his passing range had increased, which allowed him to take on an increasingly more creative role for his team. Furthermore, he constantly presses high up the field whenever the opposition is in possession. Besides physical attributes and footballing skills, he has also been praised for his tactical intelligence, consistency, and his leadership both in and outside football. He is also known for his ability to win challenges, transition the ball forward, and make attacking runs from midfield to get into good offensive positions.

Reception

Although he received media criticism early in his career for being dispensable, he later drew praise from pundits for his ability to develop his game and establish himself as an essential player, with then-Flamengo manager Jorge Jesus describing him as the "best midfielder in the world in his position" following their encounter in the 2019 Club World Cup final. Liverpool coach Klopp described him as "exceptional" and "outstanding", while former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard said about Henderson, "Teams can't function at Liverpool's level without a cog like Jordan Henderson."

Personal life

Henderson is a Sunderland fan and attended the 2014 League Cup final with the Sunderland fans, while being a player at Liverpool. On the same day as being named Liverpool captain, it was announced he would also be featuring alongside Lionel Messi on the cover of the UK edition of FIFA 16.

Henderson and his wife Rebecca Burnett have three children. His father Brian, a former policeman and amateur footballer, survived oral cancer during Henderson's early Liverpool career and was later able to attend the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid.

In December 2020, Henderson responded to a fan on Twitter (now X) who said that the club had helped deal with his sexual orientation during his teenage years and early adulthood, stating that if wearing the Rainbow Laces armband as Premier League captain helped at least one person, it was progress. He further stated that "everyone is welcome at Liverpool Football Club", evoking positive reactions from fans and LGBT organisations. Kop Outs, the official LGBT Liverpool supporters group, said of Henderson's response as "an immensely important moment which touched a chord with all Reds fans".

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Henderson, as captain of Liverpool, contacted fellow Premier League captains to organise a COVID-19 fund that would raise millions of pounds for the National Health Service (NHS). His idea was for Premier League footballers to contribute to a fund for frontline NHS workers.

Henderson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for "services to Football and to Charity particularly during the Covid-19 Pandemic".

His autobiography, Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography, was released in October 2022.

In July 2023, Henderson was criticised for the move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq in some quarters, having previously written in support of the LGBTQ+ community. The video released by Al-Ettifaq desaturated Henderson's rainbow armband to black and white. Former German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who announced he was gay after his playing career ended, posted on social media "I did believe for a while that [Henderson's] support for the [rainbow emoji] community would be genuine. Silly me." "I can understand the frustration [from the LGBTQ+ community]," Henderson later told The Athletic. He added, "I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I'm sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they have asked for my help." Hitzlsperger later added further criticism to Henderson and other players in his 2024 autobiography Mutproben, where he tells his story of becoming a high-stakes openly gay footballer.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 October 2026

International

As of match played 27 June 2026

As of match played 6 June 2026

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Henderson goal

Honours

Liverpool

Premier League: 2019–20

FA Cup: 2021–22; runner-up: 2011–12

Football League Cup/EFL Cup: 2011–12, 2021–22; runner-up: 2015–16

FA Community Shield: 2022

UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18, 2021–22

UEFA Super Cup: 2019

FIFA Club World Cup: 2019

UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015–16

England

UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2020

FIFA World Cup third place: 2026

UEFA Nations League third place: 2018–19

Individual

England U21 Player of the Year Award: 2012

Liverpool Young Player of the Year: 2011–12

Sunderland Young Player of the Year: 2009–10, 2010–11

Premier League Goal of the Month: September 2016

England Senior Men's Player of the Year: 2019

FWA Footballer of the Year: 2019–20

Liverpool Fans' Player of the Season: 2019–20