Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is close to joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ettifaq after a transfer fee was agreed between the two clubs last week and speaking about the midfielder, former Reds star Stan Collymore believes the move would tarnish his legacy at the Merseyside club.
Henderson has been Liverpool’s captain through all of Jurgen Klopp’s success at Anfield but his role went beyond the four corners of a football pitch. The midfielder has done some amazing work off of the pitch and one of the stances taken by the player that has now been brought up again is his beliefs about the LGBTQ+ community.
The Liverpool captain was seen as an ally by the community and it peaked with his programme notes ahead of a match at Anfield back in 2021. That community will now be disappointed by the England star’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia, a country where that community is punished for being who they are.
Considering this, former Liverpool star Stan Collymore believes Henderson has tarnished his Liverpool legacy by moving to Al Ettifaq and has labelled it “gross hypocrisy”.
Stan Collymore is disappointed with Henderson’s decision to move to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia
Speaking about the Liverpool captaincy, Collymore touched on Jordan Henderson’s transfer to Al Ettifaq and stated that he was disappointed with the decision.
The pundit said: “Sticking with Henderson, I am very disappointed in his decision to move to Saudi Arabia after all he has done for the LGBTQ+ community in the past. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and I believe it will tarnish his legacy at Liverpool. You can’t say that something is wrong, go out of your way to campaign for it, and then go to a place such as Saudi Arabia that is known to disenfranchise the group of people he was standing up for.
“I like Jordan a lot but it is gross hypocrisy. I think a lot of Liverpool fans won’t say anything at the moment after all he has done, but I know a lot of others that are very disappointed in his decision and believe it has tarnished all the good things he has done during his time at Anfield.”