Jordan Henderson

Jordan Brian Henderson is an English professional footballer who plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League and the England national football team. He was born on 17th June 1990 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in England. He primarily plays as a central midfielder or a central defensive midfielder, but is also capable of playing on the right side of midfield. He is a right-footed player with a decent left foot.

A workhorse, he is the engine that keeps the team going. He covers the most distance on the field and boasts incredible persistence and diligence. Working hard in both attack and defence, the team relies on Henderson at the centre of the field. Very good at both picking a pass and holding the ball, he is a calm presence on the ball. Often criticised for his lack of technical abilities, he makes up for most of it by his great vision and hard work. A very unselfish player, he excels in first touch football and often likes to do layoffs. He is also good at initiating an attack from midfield with a long ball played to the striker or winger.

Background

A huge fan of Sunderland, his hometown club, he is a product of the The Black Cats’ academy. He joined Sunderland A.F.C at the age of eight in 1998. Coming up through the ranks he successfully made his senior debut for the club in 2008.

Debut

A regular at the youth setup of England, he has played at every level. He even captained the under-21 team at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel. In February 2013, he was named as the England U21 Player of the Year in its inaugural edition.

He made his senior debut in an international friendly match against France on 17th November 2010. Starting the game and finishing the complete 90 minutes, he had a frustrating beginning as England lost the match 1:2 and Henderson was yellow-carded.

He took his time to settle into the national team making most of his appearances from the bench before establishing himself as a starter in the national. He featured in the 2012 and 2016 UEFA Euro and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for England.

Rise to Glory

An impressive second senior season with Sunderland he rose to glory. He was named as one of the 13 players to watch out for in 2011 and was also adjudged as the Sunderland Young Player of the Year for the second time in the 2010-11 season. This was enough to convince Liverpool of his talent and to sign for a fee around the region of 16 to 20 million pounds.

He again rose to glory in the 2013-2014 season when he established himself as a starter in the Liverpool squad. He was also named the club’s vice captain. Following the departure of Gerrard in June 2015, he was made the club captain and still maintains the position as of date.

His efforts mostly go unnoticed and he rarely ever comes under the spotlight, except for the occasional scapegoat criticisms when the team performs badly.

Club Career

Henderson has played for Sunderland and Liverpool, while also going on loan to Coventry City.

Captaincy

A very able leader, he was appointed after the departure of club legend Steven Gerrard. The development at Liverpool has been slow, but they have emerged as a real force to reckon with in recent days, under the leadership of Henderson.