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.”
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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