Jordan Henderson insists he will not walk away from international football despite being booed off the Wembley pitch by England fans on Friday night.
Eyebrows were raised when Henderson swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal.
The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
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There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s double-header against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different when he captained England in their first home match since his controversial move.
There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before the 1-0 friendly win against Australia but a vocal minority very audibly jeered when he was replaced in the second half.
“It’s not nice, your own fans (booing),” he said.
“Everybody has got their own opinion. I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here.
“I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country.
“To lead the team out meant an awful lot to me and my family. Another special night and we got the win which is the most important thing.
“But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it’s always been positive stuff and nice things said.
“It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.”
England manager Gareth Southgate questioned those supporters who decided to boo his vice-captain, with Henderson admitting he was also unsure why – even if he accepted he would face criticism for his move to Saudi.
Asked if he understood the jeers, the 33-year-old replied: “Not really. I don’t know… if people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine.
“Like I said, everyone is going to have an opinion over when I’m 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.
“Of course it’s disappointing, but it won’t change what I do here. I want to keep playing and keep fighting and help the team become successful.
“I haven’t been surprised by that because I can understand the reasons in what they’re saying. I look at it from a different point of view, obviously.
“But I can understand it and I’ve got to take that on the chin.”
Asked about Southgate’s public support and continued selection, the former Sunderland youngster added: “Yes, the gaffer has been really good as always.
“I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads.
“It’s nice to know that you’ve got the backing of the manager and your team-mates but that’s never been in doubt for me. That’s always been the case.”
Henderson may have switched Merseyside for the Middle East but he feels enough at home to have already backed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
The country abandoned a 2030 joint-bid with Greece and Egypt and announced their solo pitch on October 4 – with Henderson involved in the promotional video.
“By that time I think they will put on a pretty good World Cup, to be honest,” Henderson said about taking part in the bid.
“So I think that’s exciting times for them as a country and I think it will be a special tournament if they ended up getting it.
“I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that.
“It is a long waiting time from now, but I think they’ll enjoy the experience there.
“When we look at Qatar, the way that they did the job there, it was a good tournament; I think the fans enjoyed the tournament and I think Saudi would be no different.”
World Cup Girlz back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of experienced players for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal, when they visit Brazil for a two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games, scheduled for June 1 and 4, are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada last September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication yet that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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