“I wasn’t afraid of the situation”, ex-English star Andy Carroll recounts his adventure in Bordeaux

At the age when others are negotiating a last juicy contract in an exotic destination, former England international Andy Carroll travels by coach with the Girondins de Bordeaux to face his amateur opponents in the 4th French division, a choice assumed, for “love”. football”.

With two doubles in his first two matches, the former Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham striker has already won the hearts of supporters and is creating buzz well beyond Gironde on social networks. However, the idyll seemed improbable between the 35-year-old former Premier League star, back in line, and the Girondins, six-time French champion in legal recovery accompanied by a social plan.

At first glance, they weren’t meant to meet but Andy, more motivated than ever to continue having fun on the pitch after years of injury-related struggles, said “yes”. Like in the song. “I was not afraid of the situation, of the risk of the club disappearing. I knew her, I trusted her, Carroll told AFP. “It fits my lifestyle and my way of enjoying football, it was a good chance for me,” he continues, completely understanding that this choice could have been surprising. “But it was an easy decision for me».

Adopted by all

In Bordeaux (14th in N2 with two matches late), the former international (9 caps, 2 goals) is very far from the emoluments he could have received in the Gulf or the United States. But he doesn’t care, preferring to surf on “the love of football that will never die».

At the mention of the seven hours by bus planned for a trip to Brittany, Carroll smiles: “I’m used to it. I already experienced it last season in the Coupe de France with Amiens (his previous club, in Ligue 2, Editor’s note). And then, when I was a child, that’s what we did with the Academy, that’s what I do now.” His debut with the Girondins went like a dream: two doubles in a row – something he had never achieved in 248 Premier League matches – “but it would have been better if we had won the first one (2-2)”.

«The team is very good, the fans were brilliant in the two matches I played. I am happy to be involved in this project», admits Carroll, adopted by everyone. Midfielder Adrien Louveau highlights his “great state of mind”. “He’s always encouraging us, helping his teammates. He speaks out and sets an example. he adds.

His physical presence (1.93 m), his fixing game, his deflections and his headers are major assets. “When you have a leader in front who is influential, who sets a good example, the others around him have an interest in living up to the challenge. We know we can rely on this weapon», confirms coach Bruno Irlès.

A desire for a change of scenery

It was in the summer of 2023 that Andy Carroll chose to experience abroad, first signing for Amiens. “Leaving England was one of the things I wanted to do. I wanted a new challenge, to write a new chapter“, he said. “I don’t know if life in France has changed me but I think it has changed my life. But I wanted it, I appreciate it, remembering that “the flight is not very long if I have to meet my friends, my family”.

And England is never very far away, seeing the specialist press, celebrity or tabloid from its country arrive at the Haillan training center, intrigued to see one of its former stars, with known romances across the Channel, evolve in amateur in the southwest of France.

“I didn’t expect them to talk about me,” observes Carroll, barely three days after returning from a romantic weekend in Majorca with the famous influencer Lou Teasdale… under the lens of Daily Mail.

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