‘Fame has its dark sides,’ says Andy Carroll as he enjoys ‘easier’ life in French fourth tier despite losing money

ANDY CARROLL is loving life in France after signing for Bordeaux.

The striker was once the most expensive British player of all time when he joined Liverpool from Newcastle in 2011.

He won nine England caps and was a familiar face amongst football fans - but he has admitted fame has its dark sides.

But now he is living the simple life in the south of France, playing for fourth division side Bordeaux after the famous old club went into administration in the summer and had to start again.

Carroll, 35, turned down lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia to join Bordeaux and is happy with his decision, despite the fact he is losing money by playing for the club.

He told : “In France I live a much easier, simpler life.

“People recognise me in the street but respect me. That’s key to my happiness.

"I can go back to being Andy, the boy from the north of England. Not the Premier League star I was, if I ever was. It would be unfair to say that popularity has taken more from me than it has given me, but sometimes it’s hard to manage those situations.

"Fame has its dark sides.

“I hope to make it to 40. I have never let money be the main reason I played football. Especially not now, when it costs me more in rent than my salary."

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It had been speculated that Carroll has been earning £2,900 a month at Bordeaux, but he claims the figure is actually much lower.

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.

"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."