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. I started supporting this club right before he arrived. He has been a constant, and from the start, I knew he was a perfect fit to the club. He worked hard, he understood the club. 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. The story of Jordan's journey from Sunderland to Liverpool, and becoming one of the most successful football leaders England has seen When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. The short version is - when I got to the end, I went 'Aawww' - I really didn't want it to end. I don't think you can have anything better than that.

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. Born in Sunderland, Jordan Henderson began his football career there before moving to Liverpool in 2011. After a challenging start at Anfield, Jordan eventually established himself as a talismanic play-making midfielder. In 2015, Jordan took the reins from Steven Gerrard, and under his captaincy Liverpool have won the Champions League and the Premier League - bringing the club its first league title in 30 years. 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. As a huge Hendo fan, I've always wanted to know more about him and how he manages to keep being Hendo in the face of all the people who just don't understand why he is so essential to any team he plays in. In 2015, Jordan took the reins from Steven Gerrard. Under his captaincy, Liverpool have reached monumental heights - winning six trophies headed by the Champions League and the Premier League, bringing the club its first league title in 30 years.More importantly, it's also a lesson in perseverance, hard work, self-belief, leading by example and always trying to do the right thing. 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. 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. 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.

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. Reading this whilst the team goes through a period of adversity just acts as a reminder of what this group of players and manager have overcame in the past, what they've already achieved together, and what they will achieve in the future.As a big fan of Jordan Henderson I was very much looking forward to this book, and it didn’t disappoint. Inspirational and insightful in equal measure with great stories peppered throughout, taking you on a trip down recent memory lane. The main focus of the book is his footballing career, there is not much really regarding growing up and life before football because as fans will be aware, football is his life. In this book, Jordan charts his decade-long journey with the Reds, and a behind-the-scenes look at his life both on and off the pitch.

A brilliantly told story with a uniquely vivid sense of what it is like on the pitch in matches of extreme importance . . . The perfect book for all football fans, not just Liverpool supporters Daily Mail, 'SPORTS BOOKS OF THE YEAR' In this tell-all autobiography, Jordan reveals how his early love for the game as a kid became an all-consuming passion that led him to follow his dream - to play for his home club of Sunderland. 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.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. The book reflects Jordan’s personality 100%, and you can tell that he has definitely had a big input in writing it. This is not an autobiography in which the subject blows his own trumpet for the entire book, Jordan mentions many many people who have been influential in his life and career. 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. It follows a format and doesn’t really deviate. Is a solid collection of facts but not enough emotion for me.

An autobiography full of real insight into the life of a top-flight footballer, Henderson’s story also carries an inspirational message for anyone facing hurdles and barriers, that they will not stop you reaching your goals. 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 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.

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.