What makes a great football captain? Is it the best player in the team or the most consistent? The loudest voice or the best communicator? Someone who plays with their heart or their head? The person who leads by example on the pitch or off it? In truth, ideally it is a combination of all of these things, and more besides. Names like Tony Adams, Roy Keane, Wes Morgan, Vincent Kompany and Steven Gerrard often feature in discussions of the Premier League’s greatest captains. These are players who not only won trophies for their clubs but also led their teams physically and emotionally – they became, in a way, extensions of the badge. Tony Adams was Arsenal, Roy Keane was Manchester United, Wes Morgan was Leicester City. They were the figureheads for their clubs, undoubted leaders on the pitch with personas that matched. Each had his own style, his own challenges to face and each left an enviable footballing legacy. These are big boots to fill, but arguably Jordan Henderson has not only filled these boots but made them even bigger.

In June 2015, Jordan took the reins from Steven Gerrard. Under his captaincy, Liverpool have won six trophies headed by the Champions League and the Premier League, bringing the club its first league title in 30 years. In this book, Jordan charts his decade-long journey with the Reds - he is one of only five men to play ten season for the club in the modern era - as well as his incredible experiences within the England squad. He is the only player in history to have been named England Player of the Year at both under-21 and senior level. Jordan Henderson is mobbed after scoring England’s fourth against Ukraine. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/Reuters Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography is out now and available to buy at our online store and in official club stores. This is where the priests come in. Henderson is the second-oldest member of the squad after Kyle Walker, the second-most capped after Sterling. He is the only one to have won both the Premier League and Champions League. And so to see him sit humbly and uncomplainingly on the bench, behind two midfielders from West Ham and Leeds, offers the sort of immensely powerful motif that no other member of Southgate’s party – least of all Southgate himself – could provide.In June 2015, Jordan took the reins from Steven Gerrard. Under his captaincy, Liverpool have won six trophies headed by the Champions League and the Premier League, bringing the club its first league title in 30 years. In this book, Jordan charts his decade-long journey with the Reds – he is one of only five men to play ten season for the club in the modern era – as well as his incredible experiences within the England squad. He is the only player in history to have been named England Player of the Year at both under-21 and senior level. Even the insight on Liverpool were pretty basic - there were elements of discussion about how views on his teammates but no real depth to them. Whilst initially I felt this was more like glossing over certain events and maybe not as detailed on the ins-and-out of Liverpool (did they learn from Pep's book perhaps?) I can't help but feel that this book summarises up Jordan's character - unflinching and brutally honest, whilst deploying a warmth. As an avid Liverpool fan - much to my parents' chagrin - for 21 years now, and after reading https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (which I felt was a little more detailed and more insightful), I was excited to reading a book on the current Liverpool captain. On the morning of England’s first major men’s championship final in 55 years, it might feel a little strange to be reading a paean to a player who may not even play. Henderson has started all six of England’s Euro 2020 games on the bench, played a grand total of 106 minutes and, apart from the fourth goal in the win over Ukraine, hasn’t really made a telling contribution. And yet in another sense he has been the key to it all. To grasp the importance of Henderson is to grasp the very point of this England side: a team of 26 men with a single consciousness, one that has set aside ego and reputation and pride and hierarchy, and emerged stronger as a result.

Not only that, but the essential decency of Henderson as a man shines through: his leadership in the #Playerstogether initiative to support health workers during Covid; his passionate support for inclusion including Premier League players taking the knee; his fierce opposition to the abandoned European Super League project on the grounds of sporting integrity. There is also a real sense of his kindness and compassion to the players he leads and the staff at Liverpool, his great relationships with England colleagues and the sense he is a leader among Premier League captains. In this, his first autobiography, Jordan reveals how an early love for the game as a kid became an all-consuming passion growing up in Sunderland and the moments and role models that encouraged him to follow his dream to play for his home club. Transferred to Liverpool in June 2011, Jordan’s early years at the club saw him struggle to settle under Sir Kenny Dalglish then Brendan Rodgers before eventually establishing himself at Anfield as a force of nature in midfield. Captain, father, leader, a fearless ambassador for the causes he believes in and a world-class midfielder, Jordan Henderson is all of these things – and it is why he is one of the most widely respected players of his generation. His story will go down in legend but his story also carries an inspirational message for anyone, showing hurdles and barriers won’t stop you reaching your goals. Jordan Henderson is one of my favourite ever footballers. This book sets out why: a player who struggled with criticism and self-doubt, yet made himself the best he could be, ending up captaining Liverpool to every trophy available to them. It’s a story of determination and willing himself to succeed - and he tells it with typical modesty and self-effacement. Perhaps the main reason this England team have so captured the imagination of the country at large is not their feats on the pitch but the sense that on some level these young men represent the best of us: honest, selfless, tireless, compassionate, moral. Before this country’s biggest football game in half a century, there is perhaps no greater tribute to this England side than the idea that one of their most important players isn’t even playing for them.To understand why, you need to study some of the behaviour at the fringes of this England team during the tournament. The way Henderson, standing on the sidelines, celebrated Harry Kane’s game-clinching second goal against Germany as keenly as any fan in the stadium. The way the squad reacted as they realised it was Henderson who had notched England’s fourth goal in Rome, the first of his England career. The entire bench explodes. Phil Foden, a club rival, leaps up in genuine delight. Marcus Rashford tears towards the touchline. This is no ordinary fourth goal. The No.14 charts his career of more than a decade and counting at Anfield from when he first signed for the Reds in 2011, a spell that has included 463 appearances and seven trophies so far during his tenure as captain. In Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography he talks about his journey from growing up in Sunderland – with football his all-consuming passion as a kid – to becoming one of Liverpool’s most decorated captains. There is much to enjoy in the book about life at Liverpool, the early days of Klopp’s reign, struggles with injury, memorable nights (for different reasons) in Kyiv and Madrid and that compelling first Premier League title in thirty years, but what defines Henderson are his values and his ethos. He speaks eloquently and honestly on everything from the pressures of social media and the challenges of criticism to racism, the failed Super League and the privileges of being a footballer. His words carry weight, as do his actions, and on and off the pitch he epitomises what it means to be a captain, what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a role model. With him, Liverpool have experienced one of their most successful periods in history – a coincidence, I think not. Without him, this would have been a very different story.

In this, his first autobiography, Jordan reveals how an early love for the game as a kid became an all-consuming passion growing up in Sunderland and the moments and role models that encouraged him to follow his dream to play for his home club. Transferred to Liverpool in June 2011, Jordan's early years at the club saw him struggle to settle under Sir Kenny Dalglish then Brendan Rodgers before eventually establishing himself at Anfield as a force of nature in midfield. It is easy to forget too that Henderson and his career was in its relative infancy when he arrived at Anfield from Sunderland in 2011 and the task of making his mark and forcing his way into a Reds side looking to recreate Liverpool’s glory days would have daunted many. Henderson not only battled it out, but he turned around perceptions and then stepped up to fill perhaps the biggest void in recent Liverpool history when the iconic Steven Gerrard left. Henderson’s autobiography is testament to his determination, his endeavour and his responsibility. There’s also an incredible maturity, a willingness to accept his flaws and crucially work at them and to understand the importance of the team and to play his part. Captain, father, leader, a fearless ambassador for the causes he believes in and a world-class midfielder, Jordan Henderson is all of these things - and it is why he is one of the most widely respected players of his generation. His story will go down in legend but his story also carries an inspirational message for anyone, showing hurdles and barriers won't stop you reaching your goals.You've seen him become a Liverpool legend, watched as he and Jude Bellingham lead England through the world cup - now get to know the real Jordan Henderson, both on off the pitch . . . Southgate referred to the “tribal elders” in the squad before the Denmark game, but he wasn’t simply talking about seniority or experience or leadership by exemplar. He was talking about relationships: the short conversations and private words of encouragement, the acts of personal sacrifice and moral fibre that subconsciously set the standards for the whole group. He was talking about the players who define the cultural and behavioural norms that junior members of the group instinctively follow. Full of heartache, excitement and triumph, this is a candid insight into the life of a top-flight footballer as you've never read before. Perhaps the most interesting part was Henderson recalling his Dad’s battle with cancer but insights into his personal life were few and far between. However, I’m not sure I truly learned anything about Henderson, nor the success of the Liverpool team in recent years.