'I'm not in Dubai for money... I don't want my kids growing up in England'

Jonjo Shelvey had missed penalties before.

But footage of this particular spot-kick went viral after the Arabian Falcons captain failed to hit the target against Al Fath.

Shelvey estimated there were only 75 supporters watching the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Second Division League game earlier this month.

It was a far cry from the crowds the former England international was used to during previous spells at Newcastle United, Liverpool, Swansea City and others.

However, the midfielder insisted he "could not care less" after a clip of his miss at Jebel Ali Shooting Club racked up a million views on social media.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I've since seen a few things like 'he's gone there for money'. I'm thinking 'what money? There's no money in the UAE Second Division League'.

"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."

So why did Shelvey end up playing in the third tier in the UAE?

Shelvey, in his own words, had been "doing nothing for two months".

Following an unsuccessful trial at Hull City the free agent suffered a hamstring injury, which complicated his prospects of securing a summer move.

But Arabian Falcons manager Harry Agombar reached out to ask his childhood friend to move out to Dubai to help "grow the club".

Though Shelvey's family had long been settled on Tyneside - even after he left Newcastle in 2023 - the father-of-three saw it as a chance to embark on a "fresh start".

"I've had my time," the Londoner said. "I'm happy and content. I'm just at the stage now where I want to enjoy football. It's about waking up, enjoying what I do and spending time with my family.

"If I'm honest, I don't want my children growing up in England any more. We're very lucky that we lived in a nice part of the UK but where I'm from, originally, you can't have nice things in my opinion.

"I'd never wear a watch in London any more. You can't have your phone out in London, in my view."

About 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in London last year, according to the Metropolitan Police, and there have been some high-profile instances of theft in the capital in the past 12 months.

Ex-Formula One driver Jenson Button and wife Brittny had a case filled with £250,000 worth of valuables snatched outside St Pancras station in February, while thieves stole more than £10m worth of bespoke jewellery from socialite Shafira Huang after breaking into her St John's Wood home back in December.

But the Met says personal robbery has been reduced by 13% and theft is down 14% in London so far this year.

"I'm not massive on reading politics," Shelvey said. "I just see some of the things that go on.

"I see people getting arrested for tweeting and, then, all of the flags and 'taking back the country'.

"I'm not going to sit here and comment on things like that because I'm not clever enough to, and I'll get myself into trouble if I carry on, but I just feel that the UK isn't what it was 10 to 15 years ago."

That is not meant as a slight on the community Shelvey has left behind.

Though Shelvey has uprooted from the UK, the 33-year-old said the north east was "the only place there he would want to live".

"There's this debate about whether Newcastle are able to attract the big players compared to the Manchester clubs and the London clubs but, until you go there, you don't understand what it does to you," he said.

"There are loads of things to do. I don't care what anyone says. If players are going to listen to this, it's a no-brainer to go there and play football.

"You will not find love at a football club like I found at Newcastle, with how they take to their players and how much they back you."

Shelvey spent longer at Newcastle than any other side - seven years in total following his move from Swansea City - and said he was "honoured" to have represented the club and worn the captain's armband on occasion.

As well as sticking around following relegation, in 2016, and playing his part in taking Newcastle straight back up, Shelvey also helped ensure the club then stayed in the top flight.

He even scored what proved to be a "massive" goal against Leeds United as Newcastle started to pull away from danger three and a half years ago.

It ended up proving a turning point in head coach Eddie Howe's reign.

"If I had not scored that, the club would have gone down!" he said. "I'm joking. Looking back at it, you don't realise how big a goal it was and, to be fair, the keeper [Illan Meslier] chucked one in for us. I scuffed the life out of it.

"But I've only got good things to say about my time at Newcastle. I loved it. Even when I first got the call about going there, I drove 12 hours from Swansea because of the traffic. I just wanted to get up there, get my medical done and get signed.

"I had experienced playing against Newcastle at St James' Park and you get a real buzz, but you never understand how big the club is until you are there."

Shelvey, clearly, still retains an affection for Newcastle and Howe, who "knew how to get into your head".

However, Shelvey is wary of being a "hindrance" and has stopped short of reaching out to the Newcastle head coach just yet as he studies for his Uefa A Licence coaching qualification.

A member of Howe's backroom team previously urged Shelvey to contact his former manager, to ask to watch training or do some coaching in the academy.

But Shelvey wants to get there "on merit rather than relying on someone he knows".

He is now combining coaching in the evenings in Dubai with training in the mornings after signing an initial one-year deal with the Falcons, as the club target promotion to the second tier.

Shelvey counts ex-Manchester United and West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison as a team-mate and believes are "a few players out here you could take into League One or League Two if given the chance".

But Shelvey recognises that his body is "not the same as it used to be".

"When you get older, every time you go on the training pitch, you think, 'is this going to be my last session?'" he said. "If I got a bad injury now, I would probably call it a day.

"I wouldn't want to go through the process of rehabbing. There is a fear in that sense but while I still feel relatively good, strong and fit, I'll just keep going."