They don’t have a song for Jordan Henderson at Liverpool. The Kop used to have a chant about the midfielder and Brendan Rodgers, but ever since the former manager was sacked in October 2015, the man now wearing the captain’s armband at Anfield has quite literally become the team’s unsung hero.
Such is life for the 27-year-old. In Kiev this Saturday, he could become only the fifth Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup, joining an illustrious list that includes Emlyn Hughes (twice), Phil Thompson, Graeme Souness and Steven Gerrard.cheap nfl jerseys china
Beyond those Anfield icons, the men who have hoisted the trophy since the turn of the decade reads like a shortlist of players who belong in a World XI. So is Henderson ready to put his name alongside Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Philipp Lahm, Frank Lampard, Xavi and Javier Zanetti?
As recently as March, when Henderson was dropped to the bench by Jurgen Klopp in favour of Emre Can for the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Manchester United, the former Sunderland player has had to overcome the doubters and those who believe he has assumed his senior role at Liverpool by accident rather than design.
That may ultimately be the case, but those who know Henderson and have worked with him closely during his progression from hungry rookie at Sunderland to Liverpool and England regular will tell you that the player and the man has always been defined by the determined streak that has taken him to the brink of lifting the European Cup.
“Jordan cost Liverpool ￡20 million when he came from Sunderland in 2011, and Kenny Dalglish, the manager at the time, wanted to find a place for him in the team, and he initially played a lot of games on the right of midfield,” Jamie Carragher, Henderson’s teammate at Anfield between 2011 and 2013, told ESPN FC.
“It took him time to find his feet. He could be a very intense character back then who would get frustrated and emotional at times, but I remember him having spat with Luis Suarez in training one day and I just thought: ‘Do you know what? He has something.’official nfl jerseys cheap
“They didn’t come to blows or anything like that, but Jordan and Luis clashed over something and exchanged words, but Jordan stood up to him.
“That’s not easy as a young player, especially with Luis being one of the older, established pros, but it showed Jordan’s determination, and a lot of us, myself included, wanted him to do well because he was so enthusiastic and clearly hungry to succeed.”