(foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
Andy Carroll, once the most expensive British footballer, now earns less than France’s minimum wage while playing for fourth-tier side Bordeaux, chasing promotion on a modest bonus.
Andy Carroll, once a Premier League record-breaker and Liverpool’s €40 million man, is now earning less than France’s minimum monthly wage while helping bankrupt giants Bordeaux fight for survival in the fourth tier of French football.
In 2011, Carroll became the most expensive British footballer of all time when he moved from Newcastle to Liverpool, taking home close to €100,000 per week. Fast forward to 2024, and the 35-year-old striker is earning just €1,614 gross per month—about €1,400 net—at Bordeaux.
To put things into perspective, the French government’s guaranteed minimum wage stands at €1,802 per month for full-time workers. Carroll, technically earning below that, joined Bordeaux not for the money, but seemingly for the love of the game—and the challenge of reviving a historic club in crisis.
Carroll's contract reportedly includes a €2,000 bonus if he reaches 10 combined goals and assists in a season, which he has already surpassed with 10 goals in 21 appearances. Though Bordeaux started the season poorly, Carroll's contributions have helped steady the ship. With six games left, they sit third in the table, six points behind the leader. Only the champion earns promotion to the third tier.
From Champions League nights at Anfield to empty lower-league stadiums in France, Carroll’s journey is a wild one—but it's also a testament to a player who hasn’t given up the fight.