He isn't though. He gets picked, but he shouldn't be anymore.
He's from Sunderland, and had a great career. That's why people want him here. If it was 35 year old Bulgarian international Yordan Hendov, who had previously captained Liverpool but has spent the last 2 years arsing about in Saudi Arabia while pretending it wasn't financially motivated, and then failing to win the Dutch league with the biggest club in the Netherlands, I don't think there'd be the same clamour for it. I could be wrong.