Ex-England star Jonjo Shelvey misses penalty in first outing for third-division UAE side

The Arabian Falcons defeated Al Fath 1-0 in what was Shelvey's first game for the side. The 33-year-old left Burnley in June to join the UAE club and received a fantastic moment to start his career in the UAE on a high when his team were awarded a spot-kick. However, the English midfielder failed to place the ball within the framework and shot it wide. 

Shelvey was a reliable midfielder during his days at Liverpool and Swansea, but his career reached its peak when he joined Newcastle in 2016. He spent eight years at the Magpies, representing them 200 times. Since leaving Newcastle in January 2023, he blitzed through four different clubs in two countries, namely, Nottingham Forest and Burnley in England, and Rizespor and Eyupspor in Turkey. However, he was only a regular at Rizespor and struggled at the three other clubs.

The Romford-born midfielder's international career was not lengthy. On October 12, 2012, he made his debut for the Three Lions under Roy Hodgson against San Marino in a World Cup qualifier. He played the full ninety minutes only twice in six caps. The first one came in 2015, in the European Championships' qualifiers against San Marino, the team he debuted against back in 2012. He even assisted once in that fixture. He got his next full game against Lithuania a month later in the same competition. His last appearance for England came in an international friendly against France the very same year, a game where he made an 11-minute cameo.

Shelvey's Arabian Falcons sit fourth on the table. The English midfielder will look to showcase his prowess in the upcoming games.