Jordan Brian Henderson MBE (born 17 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax, which he captains, and the England national team.

[11] Henderson's loan to Coventry was extended until the end of the season,[12] and he scored the first senior goal of his career on 28 February 2009 against Norwich City.

[17] 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.

[19] Henderson was a major part of the team during the 2010–11 season making 39 appearances and scoring 3 goals,[20] including his first league double, on 23 April at home to Wigan Athletic.

[29] 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.

[36] 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;[37] 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.

[38] 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.

[39] Henderson started the 2014–15 season in a good form, providing two assists in Liverpool's first three league matches,[40] and was named as the club's vice-captain following the departure of Daniel Agger.

[41] 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.

[48] After aggravating a heel injury Henderson underwent surgery,[49][50] but broke a bone in his right foot before he could rejoin the starting line-up.

[57] A knee injury sustained during Liverpool's Europa League first leg match with Borussia Dortmund ruled him out until the end of the season.

[68] 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.

[75] 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.

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.

[80] He scored his first Champions League goal in seven years on 15 September, with the winner in the opening group stage match, a 3–2 home victory over AC Milan.

[88] On 27 July 2023, Henderson signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq for a reported transfer fee of £12 million.

[107] Initially named as a standby player,[108] Henderson was called up to the England Euro 2012 squad to replace the injured Frank Lampard.

[112] He started in England's opening two World Cup group matches, 2–1 defeats to Italy in Manaus, and Uruguay in São Paulo.

[120] In the UEFA Euro 2020 final, Henderson was a 74th minute substitute before being replaced himself by Marcus Rashford at the end of extra time as England finished as runners-up.

[citation needed] He scored his first World Cup goal after a link-up play with Jude Bellingham in the round of 16 against Senegal.

[125] With the arrival of Fabinho in 2018, Henderson moved back to his original "number 8" position as a central midfielder closer to the right side of the pitch, a role in which he excels the most.

[126][127][128] A versatile player,[129] he has also been used in a more advanced midfield role on occasion,[130] and even as a makeshift centre-back during periods of injury crisis among Liverpool's central defenders.

[148] He is also known for his ability to win challenges, transition the ball forward, and make attacking runs from midfield to get into good offensive positions.

[155] On the same day as being named Liverpool captain, it was announced he would also be featuring alongside Lionel Messi on the cover of the UK edition of FIFA 16.

[157] His father Brian, a former policeman and amateur footballer, survived oral cancer during Henderson's early Liverpool career and was able to attend the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid.

[158][159] In December 2020, Henderson responded on Twitter to a fan who said that the club had helped deal with his sexual orientation during his teenage years and early adulthood.

[160] Kop Outs, the official LGBT Liverpool supporters group, said of Henderson's response as "an immensely important moment which touched a chord with all Reds fans".

[162][163][164] Henderson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for "services to Football and to Charity particularly during the Covid-19 Pandemic".

[169] Former German international Thomas Hitzlsperger, who announced he was gay after his playing career ended, posted on social media "I did believe for a while that [Henderson's] support for the [rainbow emoji] community would be genuine.