Andy Carroll has revealed he struggles to pay rent while playing for fourth-tier French side Bordeaux – where he now earns not even close to £2,000 a month.
Since becoming the most expensive British footballer at the time when moving from Newcastle to Liverpool in January 2011, physical forward Carroll has carved out quite an enigmatic career.
Goals were hard to come by at Anfield, and after an initial loan spell, he jumped ship to West Ham in 2013. Six years dotted with injuries opened the door for a return to St. James’ Park, which, impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, was lacklustre. Carroll subsequently moved on, playing for Reading and West Brom before leaving English soil last year to join second-tier side Amiens.
Now, Carroll has swapped the north of France for the south west, dropping down to six-time Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux, who entered administration in 2021 and dropped their pro status this year. This action evidently affects the amount they can pay players, and new striker Carroll is no exception.
With my salary, I can’t even pay the rent. If I moved to Bordeaux, it wasn’t because of the money,” Carroll admitted to L’Equipe last month.
Carroll reportedly earns €1,614 (£1,344) per month at Bordeaux – while some players earn €5,000 (£4,165). The Englishman was also handed a potential €2,000 (£1,666) bonus if he scored 10 goals.
The 35-year-old – who split with partner Billi Mucklow in July – perhaps has such a bonus in mind, and is flying in the Championnat National 2, scoring five goals in his first three appearances. With football presumably being enjoyed, the question begs, why Bordeaux?
“I thought about it [moving to Bordeaux], and I said to myself that I loved living in France, but I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted at Amiens even if I had a really nice time at the club,” Carroll continued.
“I received a lot of messages which said: ‘You could still play in England at a very good level’. But I want to thrive playing football in a nice environment, and that is exactly what I am doing now.
The people I met at Amiens or Bordeaux treat me like a person, not like a footballer. In England, people perceive me as an aggressive personality because of my image of being a big player. I am not like that in my everyday life, but in my country, only my family and friends know this.”
