Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia: Attendance figures show the reality of the switch

Jordan Henderson may insist his move to Saudi Arabia was not money motivated, but he is now playing to crowds below 1,000 with Al-Ettifaq.

The summer of 2023 saw a dramatic change for former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, as he left the Anfield club to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. In an interview with The Athletic, Henderson attempted to explain his decision and insisted it wasn’t for the money. But despite the revamp of the Saudi top flight, including major investment from the royal family’s Public Investment Fund, the interest is seemingly not there yet.

In fact, Henderson’s most recent game for Al-Ettifaq – a 3-1 win away to Abha – saw an official attendance of just 976 spectators, according to ESPN. This was despite the high-profile names involved – former Sevilla and PSG midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak started for Abha and ex-Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi scored from the bench.

Al-Ettifaq attendance figures

• Al-Nassr (H) – 13,656
• Al Hazem (A) – 1,024
• Al Khaleej (H) – 4,200
• Al Hilal (A) – 13,656
• Damac (H) – 2,281
• Abha (A) – 976

The highest attendance for any of his appearances came at home to Al-Nassr, with 13,930 in the stands for a game involving the Saudi Pro League’s biggest draw, Cristiano Ronaldo. A close second was the away clash with Al Hilal – which along with Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli is one of four clubs owned by the state – drawing 13,656 fans.

In Henderson’s other two outings there were fewer than 5,000 spectators, with 4,200 in the stands for a home clash with Al Khaleej and 2,281 for the visit of Damac.

Data from Transfermarkt states Al-Ettifaq’s average attendance has only risen slightly from 5,200 to 6,804 this season following the appointment of Steven Gerrard as manager and the signings of Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembele and Demarai Gray among others.

Al-Ettifaq are reported to have the seventh-highest average attendance in the Saudi Pro League this season, with Al Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr unsurprisingly the most visited.

The official capacity of Al-Ettifaq’s Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium is reported as 26,000, meaning the club are filling just over a quarter of the available seats on average.

A stark contrast to Anfield

With the recent setbacks in Liverpool’s redevelopment of the Anfield Road End, the Reds’ two home games this season have seen attendances of 49,699 and 50,109. That is viewed as a disappointment, as the stadium’s eventual capacity will be around 61,000 – but it pales in comparison to Henderson’s new venture.

Jordan Henderson may have been hoping for a new challenge when he