Andy Carroll: €40m Liverpool signing’s modest Bordeaux wage revealed

Andy Carroll once made headlines around the Premier League when he signed for Liverpool from Newcastle United for €40 million, but the striker now has an altogether more low-profile life at Bordeaux.

Carroll’s decision to sign for Bordeaux last summer after a year with Ligue 2 side Amiens was also an eye-catching decision. The six-time French champions had just been administratively relegated to the fourth-tier of French football due to their dire financial position.

At the time, the 36-year-old striker, who remains one of Liverpool’s most-expensive signings ever, said: “My salary is less than my rent. I’m here for the experience and not the money.”

Now it has been revealed just how much Carroll, who won nine caps for England, is being paid by L’Equipe.

The former Liverpool striker has a gross pay of just €1,614 per month or €1,400 net. Over the course of a year, his take-home pay is €16,800 – just £14,252.

During the peak of his career at Liverpool, he was earning almost that figure per day. While at Anfield, Carroll is reported to have earned €95,000 per week (£80,000).

Carroll has embraced Bordeaux challenge

Fighting for Bordeaux to regain their place in Ligue 1 is a challenge that the Geordie has embraced, however.

“It’s a great project… Unfortunately, the club has been dropped down several divisions, but it’s a great club and we’re going to try to get it back to where it should be,” he told RMC in September.

“To be honest, it even costs me money to have gone to play for the Girondins. But I play football and I am simply happy to play football. I want to be part of the history of this club and to be honest it is not a question of money. In my career, it has never been a question of money.”

Bordeaux have struggled to live up to expectations on the field and are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak that has seen them drop to sixth place with seven games remaining. Nine points of the top, it’s now time for Carroll and Co. to rediscover their level.