Juve, Liam Henderson mocks Dusan Vlahovic in Empoli: ‘Oh, eighty million’

We’ve seen hundreds of scenes like this on the pitch. People who flaunt titles won and past glories, just enough to add a little spice to the highlight of a game. Do you remember Ibrahimovic at the time of PSG? The spat with Paul Baysse of St. Etienne lasts longer than necessary, Zlatan places a hand on his side and tries to look at his back: “What’s your name? Who are you?”. The usual things from Ibra, who has dominated matches for twenty years, scrutinizing everyone from above. Sometimes, however, it also happens that the roles are reversed. Making fun of the opponent becomes a way to fill the technical gap, make him extremely nervous and force him to make a mistake. The latest example comes directly from the Serie A postponement: Empoli’s Liam Henderson mocks Dusan Vlahovic, looks him straight in the eye and ironically reminds him of the price on his card. “Oh, eighty million!”. We don’t know the answer from the Juventus player, but he brings his hand to his mouth and replies in kind.

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Before the black and white debacle in Tuscany, Henderson and Vlahovic had only met twice: both date back to last season and Dusan – first with Fiorentina, then with Juventus – scored a total of three goals. There is a bet, however, that Liam has not done all these calculations. Zanetti sent him onto the field with ten minutes to go and he, as always, had the task of putting up a dam in front of the defence. Running and tackling are his specialties, but Henderson also has a good temper which, in certain contexts, is invaluable. At the time of Verona, as soon as he arrived in Italy, he gave an interview to the Daily Mail: “My teammates make fun of me, they refer to the classic stereotypes about the Scots. For them I should be a half alcoholic, always ready to fight”. It’s not like that, God forbid, but maybe Henderson’s spark lights up a moment earlier than that of the others. This year he has picked up nine yellow cards and has been used for just over 900 minutes…

Dad, Van Dijk and… the shark

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Arrived from Lecce for two million in the summer of 2021, Liam has lived in Italy for five years. He grew up in Celtic together with Van Dijk, then moved on to Bari, Verona, Empoli, Lecce and Empoli again. In midfield he can play in all roles: midfielder or midfielder, if necessary playmaker or attacking midfielder like Nainggolan. He presses his opponents, he fits into the spaces, fights for every ball and is appreciated by the fans. His family are all footballers. Brother Ewan, four years younger, is an attacking midfielder for Hibernian. Liam is a mix between him and dad Nicky, an old-fashioned median, who used to play in the minor leagues. “He has always been my idol. In second place, however, I put Steven Gerrard…”. Speaking of old glories: in the summer of 2018, after signing with Verona, Henderson became the second Scotsman to wear the yellow and blue shirt, thirty-five years after “the shark” Joe Jordan. It is the same Jordan who was the assistant coach of Tottenham and, in a Champions League match against Milan, sent Rino Gattuso into a tailspin. The two ended up face to face, with Ringhio shouting: “You and me, you and me!”. Another fuzzy Scot, whom Henderson got to know in person: “I called him before accepting Verona’s offer, he gave me some advice on the city and on Italian football. For us Scots, Joe is a true legend.” And Liam learned quickly from him…