Rio Ferdinand admits he is ‘angry’ that fans are condemning players like Cristiano Ronaldo for moving to Saudi Arabia – and denounces the hypocrisy of allowing Lionel Messi and David Beckham to join MLS ‘without negativity’

Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Jordan Henderson should not be convicted for joining the Saudi Pro League, Rio Ferdinand insisted ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.

The former Manchester United defender admitted he is ‘angry’ that players are being vilified for going to Saudi Arabia for lucrative deals, while superstars like Lionel Messi and David Beckham have avoided the same level of scrutiny following their move to MLS in America.

Several Premier League players, including N’Golo Kante, Fabinho and Kalidou Koulibaly, have joined Henderson in the move to the Middle East, with the ex-Liverpool captain taking a £700,000-a-week contract with Al-Ettifaq .

But Ferdinand, who acted as a pundit alongside Joe Cole on TNT Sports’ debut Premier League broadcast, insisted that players’ decisions should not come under fire.

“It makes me angry that you see some comments about football players’ decisions, you can’t say it’s a rule for one of them here and one of them there,” he said.

Rio Ferdinand wondered why Lionel Messi’s move to MLS was not so widely condemned

“When Cristiano went to America, there was negativity. I didn’t hear any negative comments about David Beckham going to America or Messi going to America, but you get a lot of negative media when it’s Saudi Arabia.”

“There are problems all over the world and to say this wholeheartedly is the wrong thing to do and to hold the players as the yardstick is unfair.”

Cole offers a different perspective on the matter, adding: “It’s no secret we have to protect football, it’s a meritocracy so anyone can come.

“Things like Leicester winning the league, these are the stories that underlie the game.

Messi (left) signed a £466,000-a-week contract with David Beckham’s Inter Miami this summer

“You can’t buy history and that’s what people love about football.”

Messi signed a £466,000-a-week deal with Beckham’s Inter Miami this summer after turning down several offers from Saudi Arabian outfits.

Since Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in January, several high-profile stars have joined the league, including Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez.

TNT Sports were forced to extend pre-match coverage of Saturday’s early kick-off as a glitch in the Emirates’ new electronic ticketing system delayed the start of the match by more than 30 minutes.