Stewart Downing has revealed that Jordan Henderson was slapped with a fine for refusing to perform an initiation song upon joining Liverpool. Both players signed up with the Reds in the summer of 2011, each commanding $25 million transfers from Aston Villa and Sunderland respectively.
Their first season at Anfield under Kenny Dalglish proved challenging, with Downing failing to notch up a Premier League goal or assist in 36 appearances. Brendan Rodgers, who took over as manager, was ready to offload Henderson, even considering a part-exchange deal for Fulham’s Clint Dempsey.
However, Henderson managed to turn his Liverpool career around, cementing his status as a modern club legend. The England international was named Reds captain in the summer of 2015 and racked up 492 appearances for Liverpool, clinching every major honour during his 12 seasons at Anfield.
Downing, on the other hand, was shown the door by Rodgers at the end of his second season with the Reds. With a tally of seven goals and nine assists from 91 appearances, he was sold to West Ham United for a mere $6.5 million in August 2013.
Now 40, Downing reminisced about his own initiation at Liverpool, revealing he performed ‘Penny Arcade’. However, he disclosed that a then-21-year-old Henderson chose to walk out rather than sing, earning himself a fine in the process.
“I didn’t have to do many initiations actually, throughout my career,” Downing told Ladbrokes. “I didn’t do one at Villa, I don’t know why. Maybe it was because I’d signed late on, so I’d got away with it.
Learn more
“I did one at Liverpool – we’d gone to a restaurant and had a meal, and it was a couple of weeks in, so I’d already got to know the lads. We’d had a few beers, so I thought it was the best time to do it. When you know the lads, you’re a bit more relaxed about it, so I sang Penny Arcade – Charlie Adam was loving it, as a Rangers fan.”
“I’ll always remember Jordan Henderson getting his wife to get up and leave the restaurant with him, because he didn’t want to sing. He just left us! He was that nervous – he hadn’t had a beer, so he was just adamant he wasn’t singing; he’d rather have paid a fine!”.
While Downing retired in 2021, Henderson is still playing in the Eredivisie with Ajax. He has endured a difficult time since leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia in 2023, only lasting a matter of months with Al-Ettifaq.
But the midfielder, who will turn 35 this summer, was named in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad and appeared as a substitute against Albania and Latvia.
