Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson became the first England player ever to feature in four World Cups on Saturday after a substitute appearance against Panama.
The 36-year-old earned his 91st cap for the national team with a six-minute cameo in New Jersey, setting an impressive new record in the process.
Having played at the 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups, Henderson is now out on his own. Here’s how the Liverpool legend fared in each of his tournaments with England.
Who has been the standout Liverpool player at the World Cup so far?
There have been some good performances!
2014: England fail to get out of the group
Henderson made his England debut just five months after the 2010 World Cup, and by the time the 2014 edition came around he was a well-established squad member, having gone to the 2012 Euros one year after joining Liverpool.
Coming off the back of an excellent season with the Reds, Henderson went to Brazil as a starter alongside Steven Gerrard in an all-Liverpool midfield for Roy Hodgson.
Things did not go to plan at all, though, as after starting the first two group stage matches – defeats against Italy and Uruguay – Henderson did not feature in the final game; a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica which sealed their fate and sent them home.
2018: England shine but Henderson doesn’t
After establishing himself as captain of a very good Liverpool team, Henderson went to Russia in 2018 on the back of a painful Champions League final defeat.
Now 28, the former Sunderland man was arguably coming into the peak of his powers, and this showed at the World Cup as he helped drive England to the semi-finals.
Playing in a deeper-lying role, Henderson started five of England’s seven games, being omitted from the dead rubber group match against Belgium, and the third-place playoff against the same opposition, with Gareth Southgate rotating much of his starting XI.
Though he had a good tournament overall, Henderson was the only England player to miss in the last-16 penalty shootout against Colombia, and his performance in the semi versus Croatia is regularly cited as being a major reason for England failing to progress to the final.
2022: Henderson forces his way into resurgent England side
Things had changed for Henderson by the time the 2022 World Cup arrived in Qatar.
Struggling for Liverpool in what would ultimately be his final season for the club, the midfielder went into the tournament in poor form and was initially left out of the starting XI by Southgate.
But having failed to get on the pitch in the opening match against Iran, Henderson came off the bench and did well against USA before starting the 3-0 win over Wales.
The last-16 brought Henderson’s best moment of his four World Cups so far, as he linked up with Jude Bellingham to slot home the opening goal against Senegal. It was just reward for the Liverpool skipper, who had fought his way into the team.
The quarter-final brought a stiffer test, against holders France, but Southgate kept faith with Henderson, playing him for 79 minutes as the Three Lions were beaten 2-1. Though they had arguably been better than four years earlier, England and Henderson were out one stage earlier.
Who has been the standout Liverpool player at the World Cup so far?
There have been some good performances!
2026: Henderson defies the odds to play again
Although Henderson was bullish about his chances of playing in another World Cup after the 2022 edition, events in the summer of 2023 appeared to have that impossible.
Disappointed at a proposed lessening of his role at Liverpool by Jurgen Klopp, the captain shocked Reds fans by making a move to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
Widely criticised for his decision, Henderson looked to have given up any chance of being involved with the national team for the foreseeable future.
From there, though, Henderson has battled his way back, first joining Ajax, becoming the Dutch side’s captain and almost leading them to the Eredivisie title, before a return to the Premier League with Brentford last summer.
Henderson benefited from the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, who seemed keen to keep his experience around the group, and a good first season with Brentford ultimately led to a selection in the squad which was not a surprise by the time it arrived.
Clearly, having played only six minutes of the three group games, Henderson is not a key player for Tuchel, not on the pitch anyway, but as he celebrates cementing his place in English football history, you would not back against him to force his way in once again.
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