A gay player on Henderson’s Saudi adventure: – Like a slap in the face

England’s only openly gay footballer, Jake Daniels, 18, said it was a “slap in the face” when Jordan Henderson, 33, went to Saudi Arabia.

Jake Daniels, who plays for Second Division club Blackpool, in May 2022 was the first player in British football to come out of the closet since Justin Fashanu in 1990.

In the middle of a difficult time, he received a sweet message from England captain Jordan Henderson.

“He supported me and wrote that he was proud of what I did,” Daniels says. BBC.

But a little more than a year later, something happened that had exactly the opposite meaning for 18-year-old Daniels:

Jordan Henderson moved to Al-Ettifaq Saudi Arabia. When they introduced the new signing, the rainbow captain’s armband that Henderson wore at Liverpool was obscured in the welcome video.

“It was like a slap in the face when he changed,” Daniels tells the BBC.

– But I suppose it’s good money, and it means more to him, continues the 18-year-old.

Daniels says it was also disappointing to see another Liverpool legend, Steve Gerrard, become Ettifaq coach.

According to the Blackpool player, he suffered from mental health problems for six months before making his decision to exit the world of football in May 2022.

– Coming out was the best thing I could do. “I’m playing much better football now,” he says.

The BBC tried to get a comment from Henderson and Gerrard on the statements, but to no avail.

Hindson said in September that he was “really hurt” by the criticism he received, that he had always been keen to help causes and the community, and that he “hadn’t changed as a person”, the BBC reported.