Jordan Henderson
Jordan Brian Henderson is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Brentford and the England national team. He is known for his leadership, versatility, and physicality.
Henderson joined the Sunderland Academy at the age of eight, making his first-team debut a decade later in November 2008. He spent six months on loan at Coventry City in 2009, before returning to Sunderland. In 2011, Henderson signed for Liverpool, winning his first trophy with the club, the League Cup, one year later. Appointed Liverpool captain in 2015, Henderson won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, and in 2020 led his team to the Premier League title. For his performances in the title-winning season, Henderson was named FWA Footballer of the Year. In 2022, he won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, with Liverpool beating Chelsea on penalties in both finals. He left Liverpool in 2023 and subsequently played for Al-Ettifaq and Ajax. In 2025, he returned to the Premier League, signing a two-year deal with Brentford.
An England international, Henderson has over 80 appearances for his country since his debut in 2010. He has appeared at six international tournaments with England, the 2012, 2016 and 2020 UEFA European Championships and the 2014, 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. He was the first player to win the England Player of the Year award at both the U-21 and senior level.
Early life
Jordan Brian Henderson was born on 17 June 1990 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and joined the youth system of his hometown club Sunderland aged eight. Henderson studied at Farringdon Community Sports College.Club career
Sunderland
2008–2009: Early career and loan to Coventry City
Henderson signed a professional contract with Sunderland on 1 July 2008. He made his first-team debut on 1 November in a 5–0 away defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, in which he came on as a half-time substitute. He then made his first Sunderland start and home debut against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup the following month.In January 2009, Henderson joined Championship club Coventry City on a one-month loan. He made his Coventry debut in a 2–1 defeat to Derby County. Henderson's loan to Coventry was extended until the end of the season, and he scored the first senior goal of his career on 28 February 2009 against Norwich City. After picking up an injury, a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot, he returned to Sunderland in April 2009.
2009–2011: Return to Sunderland
In the 2009–10 season, Henderson broke into the Sunderland first team and made 38 appearances, scoring 2 goals. He scored his first senior goal for the club against Birmingham City in the League Cup third round. He then went on to score his first Premier League goal against Manchester City on 19 December 2009.Henderson spent the majority of the season on the right side of midfield but played centrally in the absence of Lee Cattermole; his versatility and consistency earned him a new five-year contract on 23 April 2010, keeping him with the club until 2015. He also went on to win the Sunderland Young Player of the Year award for the 2009–10 season.
Henderson was a major part of the team during the 2010–11 season making 39 appearances and scoring 3 goals, including his first league double, on 23 April at home to Wigan Athletic. On 13 January 2011, Henderson was listed on the official FIFA website as one of 13 young players to watch in 2011. He was named Sunderland's Young Player of the Year for the second season running.
Liverpool
2011–2015: Emergence and first successes
On 9 June 2011, Henderson was transferred to Liverpool for an undisclosed fee thought to be between £16 and £20 million. He made his debut in Liverpool's first match of the 2011–12 Premier League, a 1–1 draw against his former club Sunderland where he was given a mixed reception by Sunderland fans. On 27 August 2011, Henderson scored his first goal for Liverpool in a Premier League fixture at Anfield against Bolton Wanderers. On 26 February 2012, Henderson started on the right of midfield in Liverpool's 2012 League Cup final victory over Cardiff City before being substituted in the 58th minute. On 5 May, he played the full 90 minutes as Liverpool were beaten 2–1 by Chelsea in the 2012 FA Cup final. Henderson ended the 2011–12 season with 2 goals from 48 appearances.In August 2012, Henderson was told he could be signed by Fulham by new manager Brendan Rodgers, but this was rejected by the player. He went on to score his first European goal for Liverpool on 6 December 2012, with the winner against Udinese in the UEFA Europa League as the Reds qualified for the last 32.
Henderson established himself as a regular member of the Liverpool team in the 2013–14 season, playing in 40 matches and scoring 5 goals. On 29 September 2013, he made his 100th appearance for the club as Liverpool won 1–3 at Sunderland.
On 13 April 2014, he received his first career red card for a dangerous sliding tackle on Samir Nasri in a 3–2 win over Manchester City, resulting in a three-match ban that meant he would miss three of Liverpool's last four matches; without Henderson, Liverpool lost 0–2 in a home game against Chelsea and drew 3–3 with Crystal Palace, losing a 3–0 lead in just 15 minutes before the final whistle. Failure to win any of those games meant that by the time of Henderson's return from suspension, Liverpool had already been overtaken in first place by Manchester City. On 11 May 2014, the final match day of the competition, he started in Liverpool's 2–1 home win over Newcastle United only to finish second as Manchester City claimed the league title in their concurrent game.
Henderson started the 2014–15 season in a good form, providing two assists in Liverpool's first three league matches, and was named as the club's vice-captain following the departure of Daniel Agger. On 29 November, Henderson started as captain for the first time for Liverpool in the Premier League against Stoke City as Steven Gerrard was an unused substitute. On 2 December, Henderson marked his 150th appearance for the club by scoring the third goal in a 3–1 win against Leicester City to confirm the win. Henderson started many Liverpool matches as captain as Gerrard was out injured or being rested on the bench. On 23 April, Henderson signed a five-year contract extension at Liverpool worth £100,000 a week.
2015–2021: Club captain and further achievements
Following the departure of Gerrard in June 2015, Henderson was made captain of Liverpool. After aggravating a heel injury Henderson underwent surgery, but broke a bone in his right foot before he could rejoin the starting line-up. It was reported that Henderson's heel problems stemmed from the incurable condition plantar fasciitis. The injury meant that he missed the arrival of manager Jürgen Klopp after Rodgers was sacked. He returned to first-team football on 29 November 2015 against Swansea City. He scored on his first start since his injury, in a 2–2 home draw with West Bromwich Albion on 13 December 2015. A knee injury sustained during Liverpool's Europa League first leg match with Borussia Dortmund ruled him out until the end of the season. Henderson ended the 2015–16 season with 26 appearances and 2 goals.Henderson started the 2016–17 season with regular appearances in the starting eleven and on 16 September scored with a 25-yard shot in a 2–1 away win over Chelsea. The strike earned him the Premier League Goal of the Month award for the month of September. Henderson ended the season with 27 appearances, scoring 1 goal. Henderson spent the 2017–18 season as a first-team regular, and he scored his only goal of the season on 23 September 2017, with a winner against Leicester City in a 3–2 win. On 15 August 2017, Henderson captained Liverpool for the first time in the UEFA Champions League against German team 1899 Hoffenheim. He would go on to captain Liverpool all the way to the final, ending up on the losing side after Liverpool were beaten 3–1 by Real Madrid in Kyiv. Henderson ended the 2017–18 season with 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring 1 goal.
Henderson signed a new five-year deal at Liverpool in 2018 after leading the club to its first Champions League final in over a decade. After signing the contract, Henderson emphasised his intentions to remain at Liverpool for as long as possible and ideally the remainder of his career. On 24 November, Henderson was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in a 3–0 win against Watford, meaning he would miss the Merseyside derby on 2 December.
On 7 May 2019, Henderson played through pain after suffering a first-half knee injury to captain Liverpool to qualification for their second Champions League final in as many seasons with a 4–3 aggregate semi-final victory over Barcelona, a 4–0 victory on the night. Liverpool began the match with a 0–3 deficit to overcome and key players missing, and the comeback is considered to be one of the best in the history of the competition. On 1 June 2019, Henderson captained Liverpool in a 2–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, becoming the fifth Liverpool captain to lift the Champions League trophy, the club's sixth overall. Liverpool then followed this up by winning the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, beating Chelsea on penalties. On 21 December 2019, Henderson led Liverpool to their first FIFA Club World Cup title after beating 2019 Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo 1–0 after extra time in the final in Doha, making them the only English club to win the treble of continental trophies. After this third trophy in a year, ex-Liverpool player John Aldridge voiced his belief that Henderson should now be regarded as a Liverpool great.
Liverpool finished the 2018–19 season with one of the highest points totals in English top-flight history, but finished in 2nd place one point behind champions Manchester City. Liverpool's good form continued into the following season, and after a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Henderson led Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years on 25 June 2020. Often credited for heroic and passionate performances throughout the league-winning season, Henderson was named the FWA Footballer of the Year for 2020 along with being named a finalist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year. Having featured in 40 games during the 2019–20 season, Henderson entered the list of top 40 all-time Liverpool appearance makers at the end of the campaign.