Jonjo Shelvey was playing in the Premier League as recently as 2023, but the ex-Liverpool midfielder is now in the third tier of football in the United Arab Emirates.
Shelvey spent three years at Liverpool after joining from Charlton as an 18-year-old in 2010, playing 69 times with seven goals and four assists to show for it.
He later established himself as a key player for Swansea and then Newcastle, before spells with Nottingham Forest, Caykur Rizespor, Eyupspor and Burnley.
But now the midfielder, who turned 33 in February, has signed for Dubai side Arabian Falcons – playing in the third tier of football in the UAE.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Shelvey refuted suggestions he had “gone there for money” and revealed that the average wage in their league was £2,000 a month.
“I’m thinking ‘what money? There’s no money in the UAE Second Division League’,” he said.
“The ballpark of the standard wage here is £2,000-a-month for a footballer. In terms of what I’ve earned throughout my career, that’s nothing.
“My brother earns more working in a hotel in London, so it was never about coming here for the money.”
Shelvey did not explicitly state his salary and is likely to be among the league’s highest earners, but it is a clear drop-off from his time in the Premier League.
Arabian Falcons are coached by Englishman Harry Agombar, who played alongside Shelvey in the Arsenal academy and called on his friend to help “grow the club.”
The former Liverpool midfielder is also coaching in Dubai, while Ravel Morrison is a team-mate having at the club in the summer.
Liverpool wanted “British players with passion”
Shelvey was one of Rafa Benitez’s final signings as Liverpool manager, during a time when he was targeting “British players with passion.”
“We tried to sign Gareth Barry and did the same with Glen Johnson,” Benitez said at the time, per Sky Sports.
“That was always the idea. We have tried to bring in British players with the right mentality and the passion for the club.
“We want them to know what it means to play for Liverpool Football Club.
“Shelvey is an addition like that. We are trying to do what is best for the club, we have a long-term plan in place and we try to follow that.”
Benitez left the club just over a fortnight after Shelvey signed, with Milan Jovanovic, Danny Wilson, Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones, Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky arriving following the appointment of Roy Hodgson.
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