Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has laughed off questions about the rumoured crazy salary he’s earning at Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq.
The 33-year-old left Anfield for the controversial move to Saudi Arabia this summer, and he’s responded to various questions and criticisms about the transfer in an interview with The Athletic.
One issue raised was about his salary with Al Ettifaq, with Henderson laughing off some of the figures that have been put out there in the press.
The Athletic asked him if it was true he was earning as much as £700,000 a week with his new club, a significant increase from what he was on at Liverpool, and while the England international didn’t reveal how much he’s earning, he said it wasn’t that much.
“No. I wish it was (laughs). No, honestly, the numbers just aren’t true,” Henderson said.
“But again, it had to work out for us financially as well. I’m not saying that it didn’t and I’m not saying, “Oh, I’m not on good money” because it’s good money and it was a good deal but it wasn’t the numbers that were reported. No.
“Stevie (Gerrard) 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 the league.”
Henderson damaged his reputation with the move to Saudi Arabia, largely due to his previous strong stance on LGBTQ+ issues, but he insists he’s still an ally and has apologised for any hurt he’s caused by the move.
“I think there was always going to be criticism regardless of what I did, whether I stayed, whether I went,” he said.
“So basically I had to make the decision on what was best for me and my family. So the football is the football side. So do I go somewhere to try something new, to grow the game that I love in another country, and grow the league into one of the best in the world? That excites me because I want to grow the sport all over the world. And that got me going, really.
“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 had 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 all 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.”
He added: “All I can say is that I apologise, I’m sorry that I’ve made them feel that way. But I haven’t changed as a person.”