Henderson breaks silence on social media after he's loudly booed by England fans
Jordan Henderson has insisted it was an "honour" to captain England against Australia, despite being loudly booed by his own fans.
Henderson was substituted just after the hour mark, with the midfielder being loudly jeered as he made his way off the pitch. The Three Lions veteran sparked outrage in the summer when he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq from Liverpool.
During his time at the Reds, Henderson was a vocal supporter of the LGBT+ community. But by joining Ettifaq, he moved to a country that persecutes LGBT+ people, with Saudi laws punishing homosexuality with the death penalty.
Friday's game was the first time Henderson has played on English soil since his move and Three Lions fans could be heard making their feelings clear on the midfielder. Despite that adverse reaction though, Henderson has insisted he was delighted to have played.
He posted a series of pictures from the game on his Instagram account on Saturday morning. As a caption, he wrote: "Always an honour to represent my country, never take it for granted. Extra special to lead the team out at Wembley."
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England boss Gareth Southgate claimed he could not understand why people had booed his captain. He highlighted Henderson's long service for his country as he hit out at Three Lions fans.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Did Jordan Henderson deserve to be booed against Australia? Comment below.
Jordan Henderson was loudly booed as he was substituted against Australia (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)“I really don’t understand it. He’s a player who has won 79 caps for England and his commitment and what he has delivered for England is exceptional. His role in the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important," he said.
"Some people deciding to boo I really don’t understand what that is for. Come on – we play Italy on Tuesday and let’s get behind this team. I don’t really know where we are heading with everything.
"I know what’s created it and it’s happened but it defies logic to me that you would give a player – who is putting his heart and soul into playing for England – why you would boo him? Is that going to help him or the team? I don’t understand it.”
While Southgate doesn't understand why Henderson was booed, England's LGBT+ fan group, Three Lions Pride, have frequently explained their anger. Ahead of last month's Euro 2024 qualifier with Ukraine, the group's chair spoke out against the midfielder.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, Joe White said: "Jordan is the perfect example that unless you're affected by these issues, you don't really understand or comprehend the full extent of how this impacts.
"He comments when told about our protest that he was 'very hurt'. Well in Saudi Arabia, LGBT+ people's feelings are just hurt, they can be killed. It is one of the two countries in the world that Amnesty believe still do carry out killings just for people being LGBT.
"The issue with it is there are so many contradictions throughout what he's saying. That is the bit that has hurt people more than anything else. It's diminished what he's previously done because his justifications of some of the things don't add up with what he's said before."
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