New Delhi: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has posted a goodbye video on social media, confirming his exit from the Premier League club after a 12-year stay.
The midfielder joined the Reds from Sunderland in a deal worth 20m pounds in June 2011 and made 492 appearances for the club, scoring 33 goals and registering 57 assists.
The 33-year-old has reportedly agreed a deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, who are managed by ex-Liverpool captain and his former teammate Steven Gerrard.
Writing on Instagram, Henderson said: “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.”
Henderson made 360 top-flight appearances for Liverpool and captained them for nearly nine years, from September 2014. He led them to the 2019/20 title as the Reds lifted their first Premier League Trophy.He also captained the club to UEFA Champions League glory in 2018/19 and FA Cup success in 2021/22, in addition to two triumphs in the EFL Cup.
Speaking in the video filmed at Anfield, Henderson said: “I can’t lie, there have been hard times, really hard times. But when I look back at my career at Liverpool, it will always be the good times that I remember.”
“Being made the captain of Liverpool Football Club was one of the greatest honours of my life. From the day the armband was passed to me, I did everything I could to behave like a Liverpool captain should. But the biggest honours at Liverpool weren’t personal ones, they were collective. All of us, all of you — together,” he further said.
Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, has signed former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, ex-Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante and Portuguese forward Jota from Celtic.
–IANS