Jordan Henderson has revealed that he drove to Germany in a van to watch England in last summer’s European Championship final after missing out on a call-up for the tournament.
Henderson returned to the England set-up this week under new boss Thomas Tuchel after being omitted under Gareth Southgate for much of the past year. His time out in the cold included Euro 2024.
Henderson, who has 82 caps, told reporters how he spent the days before England’s final against Spain: In a van with his family headed to Berlin.
“I didn’t know until late doors whether I could go with training or times or schedule,” Henderson said. “But we were off or late the next day so I was able to go. Then, when I found out I could go, there were no flights anywhere. I couldn’t go from England, couldn’t go from Amsterdam. So I looked at how far it was and I hired a van for me and the family and we drove across.”
It ended in tears for England, who were dealt a painful 2-1 defeat after a late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal. Still, Henderson said he was able to experience life as a fan after spending previous tournaments as a key part of Southgate’s sides.
“When we needed the toilet or something, or popping in the garages, it was quite funny to see some of the fans,” he added. “Actually, it was quite nice to be with them. Obviously I would have rather been with the team.
“I was watching on the telly and it was hard but all I wanted was the lads to do well and win. I had a good feeling that we were going to win, so I needed to be there to see it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But I was happy that I went to watch them live.”
Henderson came off the bench for England in Tuchel’s first game in charge against Albania on Friday, ending in a 2-0 victory and a positive start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
England play again on Monday against Latvia.
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