The Liverpool captain wore the armband in England’s 0-0 draw against Slovenia.
Unlike some, Sunderland legend Kevin Ball is not surprised by how well Jordan Henderson has done in his career, and he explained why during an interview with safc.com.
Henderson began his career at Sunderland, graduating from their academy as a local lad and breaking into the first-team in 2008. Having spent nine years playing on Wearside, Ball went on to become a coach at Sunderland where he worked with a young Henderson, and the 51-year-old is happy to see the Farringdon-born midfielder doing so well.
“I’m not surprised by what Jordan has achieved because his desire to be the best is fabulous,” Ball told safc.com.
“It is fabulous, absolutely brilliant what he has done and he is still humble which is a sign of the great person he is. He is a leader.”
Henderson captained England in their 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Wednesday night in the absence of Wayne Rooney, but he could not inspire the Three Lions to victory.
The central midfielder left Sunderland in 2011, joining Liverpool as part of Kenny Dalglish’s questionable spending spree which also included a large sum of money going to Newcastle United for the services of Andy Carroll.
While Liverpool never got their moneys worth from the striker, the same cannot be said about Henderson, who has gone on to become a key figure on Merseyside, taking over as captain when Steven Gerrard left the club.
Although England did not win with Henderson as captain, it was a proud night for many Sunderland fans, seeing a local lad captain their country, with their goalkeeper and another local in Jordan Pickford on the subs bench.
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