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England midfielder Jordan Henderson admitted Friday it had been a tough period both for him following his controversial move to Saudi Arabia, and for new club Ajax, who are enduring a torrid season.
The 33-year-old former Liverpool star never settled at Saudi club Al-Ettifaq, lasting only six months amid a firestorm of criticism from gay rights activists, who saw the move as hypocritical.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, crazy few days,” Henderson admitted in an interview on the club’s website.
Henderson is an outspoken advocate for gay rights and his move to Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal, sparked accusations he was putting money above principles.
Meanwhile, Ajax has had its worst start to a season in the Dutch league, briefly improving the Eredivisie standings as fan frustration turns violent.
“It’s been a difficult year for the club, both on and off the pitch. But it’s been the same for me for the last six months,” Henderson said.
“So hopefully, we’ll be able to help each other, help each other move forward and try to have as much success as possible in the near future. “
Henderson’s trip to Saudi Arabia, with a salary of up to £700,000 ($887,000) per week, follows high-profile signings of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and 2022 French Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
The world’s largest oil exporter has spent scores of millions of dollars on sports contracts, adding Formula 1 in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV golf circuit, earning it common claims that it is “washing the sport” of its human rights record.
Saad Allazeez, vice president and interim chief executive officer of the Saudi league, said other people “don’t adapt. “
“Everyone has tried and no one is to blame,” he added.
Ajax manager John van ‘t Schip hopes Henderson’s experience – he won 81 caps for England and played almost 500 times for Liverpool – can strengthen his young squad.
“I know there’s a lot of young players on the team who have a lot of potential,” Henderson said.
“And they wanted to have a little bit more experience to come in and try to help them, advise them on and off the court. I hope I can do that,” he added.
Ajax have enjoyed a renaissance under Van ‘t Schip, from the back of the table to fifth place.
But the Dutch giants remain humiliating to 23 problems from the sick leaders and their bitter rivals, PSV Eindhoven.
They were eliminated from the Dutch Cup through Hercules Rank Amateurs and failed to advance to the Europa League, finishing third in their organization and a position in the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League.
The fan agreement said Henderson was an “important player,” but “miracles are not expected right away. “
“It is naive to think that the road to the top is now wide open. Henderson cannot single-handedly lead the team, monitor the organisation, set the lines, speed up the game and provide coaching.”
The Henderson saga was met with contempt by much of the British press, with the Independent calling it “disastrous”.
His move to Saudi Arabia “destroyed years of goodwill, with a subsequent refusal to say so about money, which almost made the situation worse,” the newspaper said.
Henderson himself has insisted the move had nothing to do with the exorbitant salary, but he feels “unwanted” at Liverpool.
He will have to give up his favorite number 14, such as the Ajax jersey adorned by legend Johan Cruyff.
“Fourteen is my number but obviously it’s a huge number here and it’s not allowed here. It’s been retired for Cruyff which is… understandable,” he laughed.