Jordan Henderson’s transfer from Liverpool to Saudi club Al Ettifaq allowed him to play in front of crowds of less than 1,000.
Henderson swapped the raucous atmosphere of Anfield for the Saudi Pro League this summer in a widely criticized move.
2
The former Reds skipper has recently come under fire despite insisting his move to the Middle East was not financially motivated.
However, whatever his position, what cannot be disputed is that Henderson is now performing in front of smaller audiences than seen in the National League.
His latest outing came in Al Ettifaq’s 3-1 win at Abha Club on Saturday, a result which keeps Steven Gerrard’s side in fifth place, three points behind leaders Al Hilal.
The match, played in strange circumstances, recorded an official attendance of just 976 – a far cry from Henderson’s days at Anfield.
Skipper Henderson started the match alongside former Liverpool teammate Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield.
Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele started up front while recent addition Demarai Gray came on midway through the second half.
Other notable names who featured in the match included former Abha Club Sevilla and PSG midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak and former Lyon striker Karl Toko Ekambi, who scored his team’s solitary goal .
In Henderson’s five matches so far for Al Ettifaq, he has failed to play in front of more than 14,000 people.
2
His record was reached in the 2-1 victory against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, in front of 13,930 people.
A slightly smaller crowd attended the 2-0 defeat to league leaders Al Hilal last month, but matches against Al Hazem [1,024 spectators]Al Khaleej [4,200] and Damac [2,281] experienced significantly lower participation rates.
