Jordan Henderson has had to take an enormous pay cut in order to bring his Saudi Arabia nightmare to an end.
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Article continues below
- Henderson takes huge pay cut to join Ajax
- Midfielder was earning £350,000 at Al-Ettifaq
- Ex-Liverpool star lasted six months in Saudi Arabia
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Liverpool captain signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Dutch giants Ajax this week, just six months after he left the Premier League for Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia. His decision has surely not been financially motivated; his contract in Saudi Arabia was worth a reported £350,000 per week, but in the Eredivisie he will earn less than a third of that.
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WHAT DRIESSEN SAID
During an appearance on Dutch television showVandaag Insideon Thursday evening, De Telegraaf journalist Valentine Driessen revealed: "At Ajax, Henderson will receive €4.5m (£3.86m) in salary per year, and €1.5m euros (£1.28m) in signing fees."
Not including the signing fee, Henderson will take home roughly £74,000 (94,000) per year in wages.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Henderson's decision to swap Liverpool for Saudi Arabia will surely go down as one of the worst-ever career decisions by an elite-level player. The midfielder and his family reportedly never settled in the Middle East, an issue Al-Ettifaq were sympathetic with. Henderson's reputation has taken a massive hit; he has long been an ally of the LGBTQI+ community, but he chose to play in a country where homosexuality is illegal as he wanted to try and help make the Saudi Pro League "one of the best in the world."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Henderson may never receive the vast majority of his £350,000 Al-Ettifaq wages. The 33-year-old backloaded much of his salary to the end of his contract so that he could – reportedly – enjoy UK tax benefits when returning to the UK to play for England and visit family.