Liverpool have recently announced that Jordan Henderson will take over as captain from veteran, Steven Gerrard. Henderson is a current England International, the star of a TV advert and also cover star of the soon to be released FIFA 16. For a young man from a suburb of Sunderland to becoming a Liverpool and England star, he isn’t doing too badly.

This is the rise of Jordan Henderson.

Jordan Henderson was born in Sunderland and is a product of the club’s academy. He joined Sunderland as a youngster and signed his first professional contract on July 1st 2008, making his debut as a substitute away at Chelsea. To gain first team experience, Henderson joined Coventry City in January 2009, initially on a one-month loan deal; this deal was extended to the end of the season. Unfortunately for Henderson and his development, he fractured his metatarsal bone and returned to Sunderland after playing just ten games for Coventry, scoring only one goal.

His injury didn’t keep him down for long, though; during the 2009/10 season, Jordan was a regular in the Sunderland team, making 38 appearances in all competitions, and scoring twice. His versatility was key to this. Although primarily a central midfielder, Henderson was equally comfortable playing in right midfield and even at right back, if required. Furthermore, a successful season saw him win the Sunderland Young Player of the Year award.

Henderson started the 2010/11 season the way he left the previous season. His early form began to catch the eye of other clubs and, most notably, the then England senior manager, Fabio Capello. Henderson was due to play for the England U21 team against Germany in a friendly, but he was omitted from the squad and Capello instead named Henderson part of his senior side to face France on November 17th. He made his debut in this game partnering Steven Gerrard in central midfield.

During this season, Sunderland’s manager back then, Steve Bruce, described Henderson as “the best young British footballer there is”. FIFA seemed to agree with Bruce to an extent, naming him as one of thirteen young players to watch in 2011, and described him as “composed, athletic and powerful”. Henderson consequently completed his excellent season by retaining the Sunderland Young Player of the Year award.

During the summer of 2011, speculation began to gather pace surrounding Henderson’s future; Manchester United were allegedly keen to sign him and looked, at one stage, to be favourites, but it was Liverpool who clinched his signature, agreeing a fee worth to be around £20 million. Jordan completed his move to Merseyside on June 9th, signing a long term deal. Niall Quinn, who was Sunderland chairman at the time, had this to say on the transfer “Jordan is a credit to himself, his family and Sunderland’s Academy and everyone here wishes him the very best for the future”.

Henderson’s career at Liverpool did not start the best, and Jordan himself admitted this by saying, “When you come to a club like Liverpool you need to perform straight away and consistently. Looking back, I don’t think I did that”. Henderson was also part of a group of players that were signed for vast amount of money; Andy Carroll at £35million, Stewart Downing £20 million and Charlie Adam £7.5 million. These players were, and still are, seen as a costly mistake by Liverpool and their fans. These signings ultimately cost Liverpool’s Director of Football, Damien Comolli, his job.

Henderson, though, was young and many thought that he could develop into a top player due to his potential and dedication to the sport. However, after his first season at Anfield, it looked likely that his stay on Merseyside would be a short one as he was offered to Fulham as part of a deal to bring Clint Dempsey to Liverpool. Henderson refused to leave, which said a lot about his desire to become a top player at a top club; he didn’t want to take the easy way out, he want to stay and fight for his place -and fight he did.

Henderson worked on his game, worked hard in training, listened to the advice given and, steadily, a maturity flourished in his game, as well as an improvement in overall ability. James Pearce, a football reporter for the Liverpool Echo, said this about Jordan in 2013: “Jordan deserves huge credit for the way he has transformed his Liverpool career. The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he looks like he belongs at Anfield these days”.

Jordan Henderson has since become one of the first names on Brendan Rodgers’ team sheets. He is now also a regular fixture in Roy Hodgson’s England team, and has been present at the last two major tournaments: the 2012 European Championships and the 2014 World Cup.

In September 2014, he was named as Liverpool’s vice-captain. He has since captained the side on fourteen occasions and has yet to be on the losing side. Following Steven Gerrard’s departure, Henderson was announced as Liverpool’s new skipper; this after signing a five-year contract extension worth a reported £100,000 per week. Quite the turnaround for someone who was told he had no future at the club a few short years ago.

The sky is the limit now for Jordan. Liverpool captain, England regular, probable future England captain, television advertisement star and, now, cover star of the new FIFA video game. From a Sunderland point of view, he is a local boy done good and many in the area are proud of him and his achievements. For a Liverpool fan, he’s a signing that surely brings a smile to their face in an era where many failed and, from an England point of view, the better he gets, the better it will be for them as he could well be the next England captain. And few could argue if it happened.

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