Glen Johnson asserts that he would have relocated to the Middle East in his latter years and calls it “crazy” for players to reject rich Saudi Arabian offers.
Many prominent athletes made the move to the Saudi Pro League this summer, including Karim Benzema, Neymar, and Sadio Mane.
Although these players have drawn criticism, Johnson can see how the eye-watering pay offered would be a draw.
The 39-year-old former England right-back said to LiveScore: “You don’t have too much to prove after being successful in the top league in the world.
“Why not move out and live somewhere else if you’re not playing in England any longer?”
I had no chance when I was 23. I would definitely attempt something new if I were 32.
Let’s face it, the money is hard for these people to refuse. You would be insane to say no to some of the older men.
“I wouldn’t want to see players under the age of 21 go there and subsequently vanish, but if you’re over 30, how can these men refuse this money?
“You really can’t blame them; the majority of people would accept a job offer worth ten times as much if it were made.
“But near the conclusion of their careers, I can understand it more. A young superstar who is 21 years old would be sad to go.
Jordan Henderson received a lot of flak when he switched from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq.
The 33-year-old was recently jeered when representing England internationally, but Johnson, a former teammate of Henderson’s for both club and country, thinks footballers moving to Saudi Arabia should be evaluated solely on their footballing decision.
The [Saudi Pro] league is not the finest league, and as a player, you would like to play in the best league, he continued.
Because, at the end of the day, they are footballers, don’t people need to criticize the players based on football decisions rather than politics?
They are engaged in a game. The likelihood that they lack the education necessary to engage in political discourse is high.
“So I don’t believe they should be placed in that position or interrogated about that.”