Of course you have a point. Obviously I went in a little hard with my statement because I'm not really used to Gerrard getting dog's abuse, right? A legend of this club who has given us memories we'll treasure forever.
Yes, not everyone would take the money. Steven Gerrard is in a different category though. He's famous, already wealthy and someone who many people look up to. He has an obligation to do the right thing because of who he is. And he's not doing the right thing. As for the rest of us, who are we? We're nobodies who would change nothing in the world if we turned down that sum. Subsequently if we accepted it again it would mean very little in the grand scheme of things. That's why I said that most people - that is, completely average folks - would take the money if it was offered to them. I still stand by that statement.
Context is everything, though.
Of course 99.9% of people would take up the opportunity to earn £20 million in a year. But the average person doesn't already have £70 million in the bank. That makes it a life changing opportunity, where the positives undoubtedly outweigh the negatives from an individualistic perspective. However, I can safely say that if I was in Gerrard's position I would absolutely turn the job down - what could I do with £90 million that I couldn't already do with £70 million? It's a shitty decision and will rightly tarnish him. He deserves all the criticism that is coming his way.
Luckily, I also don't think the majority of people are like Gerrard. If they were, there would be a mass exodus of players to Saudi, just like there would have been to China a decade or so ago. We just don't hear about the countless players turning them down who are obviously choosing their careers and/or morals over the money (countless golfers also did this rather than move to LIV). It seems like only those at the end of their careers are tempted, so there is hope that there is still general "good" within football.
Also a fairer equivalent of what Gerrard is doing for the average person would be asking them to do a job in Saudi that would result in a pay rise but not for a life changing amount - say an extra £10k a year. I would undoubtedly turn that down too, and probably more. Many of course wouldn't.
