Jordan Henderson will be hoping to make his first England appearance in almost a year when the Three Lions take on Albania, having been named in Thomas Tuchel's squad
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Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson has been recalled to the England squad by Thomas Tuchel
(Image: Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has reported for England duty after being brought back into the fold by new boss Thomas Tuchel. It is almost a year since Henderson's last Three Lions appearance, having missed out on a place in the Euro 2024 squad last summer.
The ex-Reds stalwart controversially left Liverpool for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in 2023, only to terminate his contract by mutual consent last January and secure a move to Ajax. He has featured on 39 occasions for the Dutch club this season and remains in the hunt for the Eredivisie title, catching the eye of new England boss Tuchel in the process.
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On his selection of Henderson, Tuchel explained: "Jordan is a serial winner. He is captain of Ajax. He is available and has played a lot of matches. What he brings to every team is leadership, character, personality, energy.
"He makes sure that everyone lives by standards and with this characteristic he embodies everything that we try to build," Tuchel continued. "We try to build a team for our fans and a team that they are proud of and can identity with. Jordan embodies everything that we want from this team."
Net worth
On the financial front, Henderson's ascent from Sunderland's youth system to Liverpool captain, taking over from Steven Gerrard, has been lucrative. Celebritynetworth.com values his career earnings at an impressive £19.29 million ($25m).
The former Liverpool captain, who led Jurgen Klopp's team to Premier League and Champions League successes, was reported to have earned up to £10million per year (£190,000 per week) during his time at Anfield.
When he joined Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, it was claimed that Henderson was raking in a staggering £700,000 per week. However, the England international disputed these figures in an interview with The Athletic.
Dutch publication De Telegraaf reported that Henderson's annual salary at Ajax is £3.86m (£74,000 per week).
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson spent 12 years with Liverpool
Family life
Henderson reportedly met his wife Rebecca Burnett when they were teenagers in Sunderland. The pair tied the knot in 2014 and Rebecca has largely stayed out of the limelight, although she often supports her husband at matches.
The couple have three children together, with their daughter Alexa being the first to arrive in 2014. A year later, Henderson rushed to witness the birth of his second daughter Alba ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final victory over Blackburn Rovers.
Their son was born in February 2020. His arrival came about nine months after Liverpool's dramatic Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona, a fact that Henderson's teammate James Milner took pleasure in pointing out on social media at the time.
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson made 19 appearances for Al-Ettifaq
Saudi Arabia truth
Henderson may have brushed aside rumours that he was pocketing as much as £700,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq, while acknowledging that he was on "good money" following his Liverpool exit. The 34-year-old's earnings have been a talking point since signing for Al-Ettifaq, yet his stint in Saudi Arabia might not have been as lucrative as suggested.
There was speculation that Henderson's agreement included a tax exemption, but only provided he stayed in the country for at least two years. His switch to Ajax after six months meant he missed out on a 20% income tax break.
Moreover, it was reported that Henderson had deferred his salary for tax reasons and forfeited any outstanding payments to help push through his move to Ajax.
Henderson will hope to make his England comeback against Albania this Friday, having not featured at international level since November 2023. Tuchel's team will be back in action against Latvia on Monday, March 24, as their World Cup qualifying campaign continues.