The tragedy of Jordan Henderson and the false nature of football in Saudi Arabia
Errors impact careers in several ways.
Many questions about the reasons behind Jordan Henderson’s abrupt departure to play football in Saudi Arabia have been answered, so the focus now shifts to how poor of a decision this was. Although Henderson was partly motivated by the desire to introduce football to a market where it is not as popular, this seems to have been an unlucky move.
Every week that goes by in Arabia seems to bring fresh information about Jordan Henderson, who has not been enjoying his time in the Middle East. Despite this, he is only feeling the effects of his team’s dismal performances, as the supporters have deserted them and fewer and fewer people are willing to support Al-Ettifaq at each game.
The owners of the team are already concerned about this. Henderson, Fabinho, and Roberto Firmino were the most high-profile Reds players who left to play in Arabian football, but it does not appear that they will be able to bring the Saudi pro League up to speed as of yet because none of them has been able to play at their peak.
The choice that appeared to have more advantages is now looking more and more like a nightmare after coach Nuno Espírito Santo, who was in charge of bringing Fabinho to Arabian soccer, was fired. This raises questions about Steven Gerrard’s ability to continue leading Jordan Henderson to the Middle East.
The players’ failure in an unsustainable league
These awful results seem to be the start of an even worse martyrdom for Henderson, Fabinho, and Firmino. Even though Firmino scored a hat trick in his debut, he has now failed to score in twelve games. It appears that this situation will not get better, and they will need to exercise patience in a league that still features teams full of elite players.
