12/9/2023 0 Comments Dim sum boston speak english![]() And rather than Hoddle, Waddle or McMamaman (or indeed Jermain Defoe, who missed out on the 2014 World Cup squad after swapping Tottenham Hotspur for Toronto FC, but was later recalled at the age of 34 after joining Sunderland) perhaps the closest historical precedent means going back more than seven decades to the cases of Neil Franklin, Charlie Mitten and George Mountford.įranklin, an imperious defender for Stoke City and England, and Mitten, a flamboyant winger for Manchester United, were among the stars of the Football League in 1950 when, frustrated by the pay constraints in England, they left for Colombian club Independiente Santa Fe. Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle were exiled while producing perhaps the best form of their career in France in the late 1980s and early 1990s respectively Steve McManaman drifted out of England contention while winning trophies for Real Madrid.īut moving to Saudi Arabia is a different matter. If Henderson can be turned, who might be next?įor all Southgate’s open-mindedness, English football has historically had a difficult relationship with some of those who have dared to ply their trade elsewhere. And that is what will trouble Southgate, just as it will trouble many others in English football. He never seemed the type, given that he has spent his entire career striving, pushing himself and his team-mates. Again, quite different from what lies in store for Henderson in Dammam.įootball-wise, Henderson has settled for what looks, unimaginably to some of those who know him well, like the ultimate comfort zone. ![]() For the final game, when they lifted the league title, they were watched by a crowd of 59,892. Their average attendance last season was 40,453. Al Ettifaq had none.Īs for Henderson’s former Liverpool team-mate Fabinho, Al Ittihad won the Saudi Pro League last season and, having added Kante, Benzema and former Celtic forward Jota to their squad, will be among the favourites for that title and for the AFC Champions League. Even before signing Ronaldo and Brozovic, Al Nassr had seven players at last year’s World Cup. Southgate had more than Henderson’s age in mind when he described him as a “tribal elder” within the England squad.Īnd there will be players in that squad who see him joining Kante, Benzema, Ronaldo et al, earning sums that are mind-blowing even by Premier League standards, and deciding they fancy a bit of that too, whatever the cost to their careers.īy contrast, Henderson is joining a team that finished seventh last season, with an average attendance of 5,561, and whose big signing last summer, Brazilian forward Vitinho, scored three goals. When the Premier League and PFA required leadership over on-pitch and off-pitch issues on all those Zoom calls during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the Liverpool man who emerged as “captain of the captains”. Henderson is hugely respected within the game. Little wonder that so many are shocked or upset by his defection to Saudi Arabia, whose human rights record attracts widespread condemnation. ![]() Not just a high-profile player, but one who has used his profile and his platform for good, speaking up against homophobia, discrimination and injustice. Not just a Liverpool and England player, but captain of his club and vice-captain of his national team. It is more what this particular deal represents. Of those nine players, only Fabinho (just) and Neves are the right side of 30. Likewise the departures of Fabinho and Firmino from Liverpool, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and N’Golo Kante from Chelsea, Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City (assuming that deal is completed), Alex Telles from Manchester United and Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton Wanderers. In isolation, Henderson’s impending departure is of little consequence to the Premier League or to English football as a whole. ![]() ![]() Unlike Roberto Firmino, who departed Anfield as a hero in May, he is slipping out of the side door. Henderson is 33 and in decline but he still had another two years on his contract at Liverpool. Benzema, 35, was out of contract at Real Madrid, albeit having been offered a lucrative extension. Ronaldo is 38 and, after his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, was a free agent with no realistic options in Europe. Gareth Southgate with Jordan Henderson (Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Īs much as Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema? In some respects, more. ![]()
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