Former Liverpool star Jonjo Shelvey has revealed his reasons for leaving England, citing crime as a key factor. The midfielder played for Newcastle United, Liverpool, Swansea City and Nottingham Forest, making 278 appearances in the Premier League.
He also made six appearances for England under manager Roy Hodgson, but never appeared in a major competition for the Three Lions. Shelvey left Burnley in the summer and now plays for Arabian Falcons in the UAE second division.
And the 33-year-old has spoken out about the unusual move, insisting there were no financial reasons behind the decision.
“Since then, I’ve seen some things like, ‘He went there for the money.’ I think, ‘What money?’ There is no money in the UAE second division,” he told BBC Sport.
“The standard wage here is £2,000 a month for a footballer, which is not much compared to what I have earned over the course of my career.
“My brother earns more by working in a hotel in London, so I didn’t come here for the money.”
Shelvey further elaborated on his recent move, admitting that his enjoyment of soccer was a motive, and crime in his hometown was another reason. he said: “I’ve had my time. I’m happy and content.
“I’m at a stage now where I want to enjoy football. It’s about waking up, enjoying what I’m doing and spending time with my family.”
“To be honest, I don’t want my children to grow up in England any longer. I’m very lucky to live in a nice part of the country, but I don’t think anything good can ever happen where I come from.
“I don’t wear watches anymore in London. In my opinion, you can’t take your phone out in London.”
He added: “I’m not very good at reading politics. I just see parts of what’s going on.”
“You see people being arrested for just tweeting, and then people being arrested for holding up the flag and saying ‘take back our country’. I’m not going to sit here and comment on things like that because I’m not that smart and if I keep doing that I’m going to get into trouble. But what I feel is that Britain is not what it was 10 to 15 years ago.”
