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Jordan Henderson’s exit damaged him rather than us, says Saudi Pro League chief
Exclusive: Michael Emenalo says former Liverpool captain quit SPL because he feared losing England place for Euro 2024 – which then happened
![Jordan Henderson playing in Saudi - Jordan Henderson's exit damaged him rather than us, says Saudi Pro League chief](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/05/28/TELEMMGLPICT000363037712_17169009415030_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqkdI5yDHjVYKmGzSEK445ujuylNnGzTirQVvnpmn7ZOs.jpeg?imwidth=680)
The Saudi Pro League chief football executive says Jordan Henderson’s sudden exit did not harm their project but was instead more damaging to the England international “on a personal level”.
Michael Emenalo says Henderson had “no issues” playing in Saudi Arabia, but decided to quit the league because he feared he would lose his place in the England squad for the forthcoming European Championship, which subsequently proved to be the case.
Of Henderson’s sudden departure from Al-Ettifaq, Steven Gerrard’s club in Dammam, Emenalo said: “It wasn’t damaging at all for the league. It was damaging on a personal level because this is someone that we all admired and we tried our very best to help him adapt and to stay.
“But sometimes these things are just beyond your own needs and just beyond professional. Jordan did a lot of good work here, did a lot of good work for Ettifaq and had inputs in ideas that have transformed that club and had an opportunity to know the country and the culture.
“If you ask him privately now, he will tell you that he had no issues. But sometimes there is a confluence of things happening that makes individuals make a decision that I think is best for them.
“I felt that is a guy who’s an ultra-professional and who had built a career, a magnificent, magnificent career through becoming Liverpool captain, England captain and maybe to, in his mind, he had an idea of how he wanted to finish.
“And maybe at some point in the course of the season he just felt that he is not going to get that. That’s something that you have to respect and it’s not something that I agree with because I really admire him and I had a one-on-one with him to try to [persuade him to stay].”
Henderson came in for understandable criticism after his decision to move to Saudi Arabia for £12 million and wages of £350,000-a-week, when he was effectively forced out by Liverpool last summer, to play in a country where same sex relationships are banned. The 33-year-old midfielder has been an ambassador for LGBTQ rights and was accused of betraying the gay community.
After leaving Al-Ettifaq, Henderson, who walked away from his contract, admitted he had made a “mistake” joining a league that “doesn’t suit me”, while also apologising to the LGBTQ community.
“If any people from that community feel let down or hurt I apologise,” Henderson said. “If anyone was offended or feel as though I upset them, that’s on me, that was my decision and I apologise for that. It was never my intention.”
The midfielder joined Ajax, forgoing millions, with Emenalo saying that the SPL would never force any player to stay. “We want only people who want to be here and unfortunately Jordan didn’t want to be,” he said. “But in the general scheme of things, as far as the league is concerned, it was not damaged at all.”