‘I don’t know why I was booed but I do understand fans’ view,’ says Henderson

Jordan Henderson has said he does not understand why he was booed by the Wembley crowd during England’s win against Australia last Friday, but the midfielder did say that moving to Saudi Arabia has left him open to accusations of betraying the LGBTQ+ community.

Henderson, who was playing at the national stadium for the first time since his move to Al-Ettifaq last summer, said it was not nice to be jeered off after being substituted in the 62nd minute. The reaction led to Gareth Southgate and Kieran Trippier voicing support for the former Liverpool captain, who wore the captain’s armband against Australia, but the 33-year-old faces a fight to win back public approval.

Denials that moving to the Saudi Pro League was down to financial reasons is yet to stop the criticism of Henderson. There is a sense that the PR battle is lost. Henderson has been a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights but his decision to play in a country where homosexuality is illegal has drawn widespread condemnation.

It was notable that Henderson, who once again backed Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup, spoke after collecting his 79th cap against Australia. He initially said he had not heard the boos and delivered a surprising response after being asked if he understood the cause of the reaction. “Not really,” he said. “I don’t know. Do you?”

Told that it was probably because of where he is playing, Henderson said: “If people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine. Everyone is going to have an opinion over playing over in Saudi.

“I’ve spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe us or not is up to them. But when I’m here with England, it doesn’t change anything. I give absolutely everything. Of course it’s