Jordan Henderson insists he didn't join Al Ettifaq for bumper contract

Jordan Henderson has insisted that his decision to join Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq was not financially motivated.

The ex-Liverpool captain ended his 12-year stay at Anfield during the summer, making a shock move to the Saudi Pro League to join up with ex-teammate Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq – the Reds legend had been appointed head coach at the start of July.

From a footballing perspective, making the move to the Saudi Pro League while being the captain of one of the Premier League’s top clubs seems like an odd one for Henderson to make. The reported £100,000 per day that he was set to earn at Al Ettifaq, rather than the footballing standard in Saudi Arabia, was seen as the real draw for the 33-year-old.

However, in an interview with The Athletic, Henderson has claimed that the finances involved were not a part of his decision making process: “People will see this club come with loads of money and he’s just gone, ‘Yeah, I’m going.’ When in reality that just wasn’t the case at all.

“People can believe me or not, but in my life and my career, money has never been a motivation. Ever. Don’t get me wrong, when you move, the business deal has to be tight. You have to have financials, you have to feel wanted, you have to feel valued. And money is a part of that. But that wasn’t the sole reason. And these possibilities came up before money was even mentioned.”

When asked if he was making the rumoured £700,000 per week pay packet, Henderson replied: “No. I wish it was. No, honestly, the numbers just aren’t true. But again, it had to work out for us financially as well. I’m not saying that it didn’t and I’m not saying, ‘Oh, I’m not on good money’ because it’s good money and it was a good deal but it wasn’t the numbers that were reported. No.”

Henderson is one of a number of high profile players to join the Saudi Pro League in 2023, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema all also making the move.