Jordan Henderson has been a target for abuse from football fans his entire career.At Sunderland he was merely an English prospect, but as soon as Liverpool splashed £20m to sign him in 2011, the then-20-year-old was immediately thrust into the limelight.And that's where the problems started.From the outset Henderson was tipped to replace Steven Gerrard as Liverpool's midfield anchor, which was always going to be a tough act to follow.In his prime Gerrard was an all-action midfielder who protected the defence, dictated play and scored his fair share of goals.Henderson, on the other hand, was more suited to playing in front of the back four and keeping possession with short passes. Pushing forward wasn't his forte.His simple yet combative style of play saw fans accuse him of being overrated and only able to play five-yard passes sidewards and backwards.Liverpool always stuck by Henderson, though, and their faith was rewarded as he captained them to Champions League glory and a second-placed finish in the Premier League last season.Henderson has proved his doubters very wrong over the past two years and at long last his talents as a central midfielder are being recognised.If evidence was needed of how vastly underrated Henderson used to be, then you need look no further than the reaction when he was announced as the new cover star for FIFA 16.Back in 2015, Henderson won a public vote against Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Thibaut Courtois to feature alongside Lionel Messi.

And here's how football fans reacted at the time:

The fact football fans were threatening to boycott FIFA 16 tells you all you need to know about how they felt towards Henderson.

But now everything has changed and the 29-year-old has earned the respect of those who once decried him. Fair play.