Jordan Henderson confirms Liverpool departure after 12 years

Posted Thursday, July 27, 2023 by ESPN

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has confirmed his departure from the club ahead of a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq.

The 33-year-old is set to join former club teammate Steven Gerrard, who took over as Al Ettifaq manager on July 3 after spells at Rangers and Aston Villa.

Henderson, who joined Liverpool from Sunderland in 2011, has won seven major trophies during his time at Anfield -- including the Champions League in 2019 -- and became the first Liverpool captain to lift the Premier League trophy in the club's history in 2020.

The midfielder posted a message on his Instagram account Wednesday that read: "It's hard to put these last 12 years into words and it's even harder to say goodbye.

"I will always be a Red. Until the day I die. Thank you for everything. You'll never walk alone."

The England international is the latest high-profile player to move from Europe to a team in the Saudi Pro League after Saudi Arabia ramped up its offering of lucrative deals to some of the sport's biggest names -- most notably with Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr in January and Karim Benzema's transfer to Al Ittihad last month.

Henderson made 492 appearances for Liverpool and scored 33 goals during his 12 years at the club.