Jordan Henderson’s switch from Liverpool to join former teammate Steven Gerrard’s Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq made the headlines – but for all the wrong reasons.

The 33-year-old had become one of the leading advocates for the LGBTQ+ community in recent times, most notably when he wore rainbow laces as he netted his maiden goal for England back in 2021. As such, his morals have been put in the spotlight as he has moved to an area of the world where same-sex relationships are forbidden and, subsequently, criminalised.

He has turned to his native England briefly this week to represent the national team against Ukraine, though the team’s LGBTQ+ fans group have said that they will turn their backs on him during the game to show their disapproval of his decisions. And while he is back, the team over at The Athletic have sat down with the Englishman to discuss his transfer – for the first time – so that he can give justification to the move, while discussing some of the factors that led to an Anfield exit.

Money was not the motivation behind the move

Of course, a lot of the discourse was surrounding exactly why Henderson, at 33 years old, chose to ditch the prospect of Champions League football to play in Saudi Arabia. A lot of assumed it was the uber-wealthy wages and lifestyle that came with playing football in the Middle East, though Henderson has insisted he did not discuss money with Gerrard.

When quizzed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein whether the value of the move extends to the money seeing as many people assume that was one of the deciding factors, Henderson said: “That was the hardest thing. People will see this club come with loads of money, and he’s just gone, 'Yeah, I’m going.' When in reality that just wasn’t the case at all. People can believe me or not, but in my life and my career, money have never been a motivation. Ever. Don’t get me wrong, when you move, the business deal has to be tight. You have to have financials, you have to feel wanted, you have to feel valued. And money is part of that. But that wasn’t the sole reason. And these possibilities came up before money was even mentioned.”

He then went on to jokingly exclaim that he wishes his wages were the same figures as they had been reported - £700,000 a week or four times what his Liverpool wage packet was, and even suggested that he did not discuss money with Gerrard prior to the move. Henderson added: “Stevie never mentioned money. Everything I spoke to Stevie about was football and the project. And he actually said he didn’t want to get involved in any of the money stuff. It was all about what we could do together to achieve something special and build a club and build a league.”

Felt he was ‘not wanted by the club’ at Liverpool

Before the switch, Henderson was the captain of Liverpool. He has been the centrepiece of the Reds' prior Champions League and Premier League triumphs and suddenly he was ready to pack his bags and leave it all be behind - but why? When quizzed whether Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had told him whether he wasn’t part of plans, he suggested there were a few instances where alarm bells began to ring.

“There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing," he added. "I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. I know there were going to be new players coming in my position. And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at the club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long,”

“If one of those people said to me, 'Now we want you to stay', then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club, or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.”

Wants to respect their religion and culture

As alluded to earlier, Henderson was praised for his actions during his time in England, especially for wearing rainbow laces as a show of support towards individuals that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Adam Crafton praised Henderson for his efforts while in England and claimed that he ‘really engaged’ in the Rainbow Laces campaign, but did quiz him whether he would emulate the same support by wearing the laces and the rainbow armband at his new club.

Henderson replied: “I wouldn’t rule that out. But at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia. If we’re all saying everybody can be who they want to be and everybody is inclusive, then we’ll have to respect that. We’ll have to respect everyone. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that. But if the opportunity comes where I can do it, and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values.”

Crafton hit back and referenced words the midfielder had used previously that everyone should be able to be themselves and claimed that it where people’s issues derive from. Henderson replied: “I’m not an expert, I’m learning with this, but the way I’m trying to be is I’m quite a positive person. So I like to think by me going with the beliefs and values I have, is that not a positive thing?”

“Sorry” for hurting the LGBTQ+ community

Henderson claimed the criticism was a tough part of the switch and when asked whether by Ornstein whether any second thoughts had crept up during the switch, he replied: “Every day.” The midfielder added: “But from the outside and people who don’t know me, then it’s a lot more challenging to understand. There can be a lot of criticism, a lot of negativity around me as a person. And that was difficult to take. But I just feel as though, because I do care about different causes that I’ve been involved in, and different communities… I do care. And for people to criticise that I’d turned my back on them really, really hurt me.”

Later on in the conversation, Henderson apologised to the LGBTQ+ community but claimed it was never his intention to hurt anyone, adding: “And obviously the LGBTQ+ community. I can understand the frustration. 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. Now, when I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to change.”

Henderson bids to make positive change

“You know, years ago, for instance, women or kids probably couldn’t play football, but now I’m over here and there's loads of women and girls playing football, so slowly things can change," Henderson said. "I can’t promise anything, but what I can do is sit here and say I have my values and beliefs. And I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing.”

Despite wanting to respect the culture in his new home, the former Liverpool persistently claimed that having someone of his importance with opposing views can only be viewed as a ‘positive’ situation. Henderson hopes to bring change.

Henderson’s summer switch shook the footballing world – albeit in a negative manner – but the man himself has still stood firm by insisting his values and beliefs have not been altered, despite his keenness not to disrespect any culture, while offering his apologies to the LGBTQ+ community.