Liverpool Captain Henderson Will Have a Tough Job (PART I)

Jordan Henderson will wear an armband that has a massive legacy.

Liverpool’s longest serving captain, Steven Gerrard just departed from Anfield Road. His armband must be too heavy for most of the players. It was speculated recently that new signing James Milner would be the new Liverpool captain. However, Jordan Henderson’s assignment hardly came as a surprise for those, who bet at online sportsbooks in the UK. The 25-year-old midfielder filled in for Gerrard as team captain for a major part of the 2014-2015 Premier League season.

• Henderson has to lead by example
• Rodgers wanted to get rid of him
• He succeeds Liverpool’s longest serving captain

The decision that makes him Liverpool captain on a permanent basis might divide the club’s supporters. Henderson is clearly an integral part of the team. His work rate is vital for Liverpool’s midfield. However, his leadership skills are questioned by many. It is expected that he, just like Steven Gerrard, will lead by example, not by words. Even then, he might have to raise his game to inspire his teammates even more. After all, the legacy that will pull the new Liverpool captain’s left hand is huge.

Jordan Henderson, the new Liverpool captain

Henderson was brought to Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish from Sunderland four years ago. He excelled mainly as a right winger or a right midfielder for The Black Cats. Yet, he struggled to boost his Liverpool career. It was no wonder that the new manager, Brendan Rodgers wanted to sell him to Fulham in 2012. However, Henderson opted to stay at Liverpool and fight for his place.

He did not start a game for Rodgers for more than three months. However, Henderson’s performances later in the season convinced his manager that he has something to offer for Liverpool. He was an integral member of the team that finished as runners-up in the 2013-24 Premier League season. However he received a red card against Manchester City in April, as many of those who gamble online might remember. That meant that he had to sit out three of Liverpool’s last four games.

His absence hurt the team a lot. His hard-working game provided stability for Liverpool’s midfield until then. He also excelled at pressing. Without him Liverpool weren’t able to beat Chelsea and Crystal Palace and ended two points behind champions Manchester City. Then, after Daniel Agger was sold to Brondby last summer, Henderson was announced as Liverpool’s new vice-captain.

With Gerrard spending more and more time on the bench, Henderson collected a number of games as captaining the side last season. It was expected then, that he could be the new Liverpool captain after Gerrard’s imminent departure. However, gambling news reported that he was in a dispute with the club about his new contract. Henderson signed a five-year deal eventually. After the end of the season, when Gerrard was transferred to Los Angeles Galaxy, Henderson, 25, was announced as the new Liverpool captain.

Gerrard became Liverpool captain at 23

Though Henderson is considered as a young captain, his predecessor got the armband even younger. After serving as Sami Hyypia’s vice-captain for a year, Gerard Houllier named Steven Gerrard as the new Liverpool captain in 2003. He was only 23 then, and wearing the armband for almost 12 years made him the longest serving captain in club history. Gerrard led Liverpool to a Champions League victory in 2005 and an FA Cup success a year later. He also won the UEFA Super Cup in 2005 and the Community Shield in 2006 as Liverpool’s captain, as well as the League Cup in 2012.

That is quite an impressive curriculum vitae. However, as many of those who bet on sports in the UK might recall, that there were even more successful captains in the history of Liverpool Football Club. Those remarkable players wore the armband in the seventies and in the eighties. They also won the Champions League/European Cup, but they had something that is missing from Gerrard’s mantelpiece. They all won the league.

Then Liverpool went into a far less successful period. They won virtually nothing in the nineties. Yet, there were many charismatic footballers, who captained the side in that decade too. In the next part of the article, GamingZion will assess the greatest captains in Liverpool history.