‘My salary is less than my rent, I snubbed offers from Saudi Arabia to play in the fourth tier’
ANDY CARROLL has revealed that his modest Bordeaux salary doesn’t even cover his rent.
The former England striker, 35, signed for the French crisis club last month.
Bordeaux, champions of France as recently as 2009, were demoted to the fourth tier in the summer after being forced to revoke their professional status.
As they began to pick up the pieces for life in France’s National B, they secured the signature of Carroll from Amiens.
Having been a regular for the Ligue 2 side last season, the target man wasn’t short of more lucrative options.
But he opted to pick the project that excited him most.
It had been speculated that Carroll has been earning €3,500 (£2,900) a month at Bordeaux.
But in an interview with L’Equipe, the former Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham star revealed that is not the case.
He said: “No, it’s a lot less than that.
“I won’t tell you the exact figure but to give you an idea, since I moved here, I rent a pretty little house and my salary is less than my rent.
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“If I joined Bordeaux, it clearly wasn’t for the money. I had offers from elsewhere to play in Saudi Arabia, but that didn’t interest me.”
Carroll, who split with wife Billi Mucklow in July, has quickly earned hero status at his new club.
He has scored braces in his opening two matches for Bordeaux, with fans marvelling at the intimate stadiums he’s played at.
On continuing to follow his passion, Carroll told RMC Sport: “To be honest, it even costs me money to have gone to play for the Girondins.
“But I play football and I’m simply happy to play football.
“I want to be part of the history of this club and to be honest it’s not a question of money. In my career, it’s never been a question of money.”
This season, NBA star LeBron James will make history by playing alongside his son Bronny in the NBA.
Carroll has admitted that he would like to emulate the basketball icon by playing with his son Lucas.
He added: “I would love to continue playing every Saturday at least until I’m 40, whatever the level.
“The goal is to be a LeBron James, that is, to play on the same team as my eldest son, Lucas, who is 14.
“It would be wonderful to experience that, in Bordeaux or elsewhere.”