Johnson says older players would be 'crazy' to turn down Saudi offers

Glen Johnson believes players would be "crazy" to turn down lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia and says he would have moved to the Middle East in the latter stages of his career.

This summer saw a raft of high-profile stars including Karim Benzema, Neymar and Sadio Mane make the switch to the Saudi Pro League.

Such players have come in for criticism but Johnson understands why the eye-watering money on offer would be an attraction.

The former England right-back, 39, told LiveScore: "After being successful in the biggest league in the world, you don't have too much to prove.

"If you're not playing in England any more, then of course to go out, live somewhere different, why not?

"I was 23 then no chance. If I'm 32, then I absolutely would try something new.

"For these guys, let's be honest, the money's hard to turn down. Some of the older guys, you'd be crazy to say no.

"I wouldn't want to see 21-year-old players go there then they disappear but if you're 30 or above, how can these guys turn this money down? 

"You can't really blame them because most people, if you get offered 10 times more to do the same job, most people are going to say yes.

"But I can understand it more at the end of their careers. I wouldn't want to see a young 21-year-old superstar go."

Jordan Henderson has come in for particular criticism following his move from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq.

The 33-year-old was recently booed while on international duty with England but Johnson — a former team-mate of Henderson for club and country — believes players who move to Saudi should be judged purely on the footballing decision rather than anything else.

He added: "As a player, you want to play in the best league and we all know that the [Saudi Pro] league is not the best league.

"I think people need to make the criticism about the players based on the football decision, not the politics, because at the end of the day, they're footballers, right?

"They're playing a game. They're probably not educated enough to discuss the politics, which is highly likely.

"So I don't think they should be put in that position or questioned about that."