Former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll was seen celebrating with Newcastle United players after their 2-1 win over the Reds in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle ended its 70-year wait for silverware after goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak recorded a famous victory, though Federico Chiesa’s 93rd minute consolation goal did offer Liverpool late hope. It’s been a brutal week for Liverpool, who was eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday before going on to lose Sunday’s domestic final.
Carroll played for both Newcastle and Liverpool during his career, and is still actively playing in the fourth tier of French soccer for Bordeaux. Carroll played in a 3-2 defeat away to Avranches on Saturday, but was granted permission by head coach Bruno Irles to fly straight to England for Sunday’s final at Wembley Stadium.
The 36-year-old attended the game with his father and two children, and even predicted the correct result. Carroll told Sky Sports: “Me and my boys are obviously wanting the win (for Newcastle) and my dad is coming with me, but it’s going to be a tough one. I’m going to go 2-1 Newcastle.”
Carroll was born and raised in Gateshead and is a boyhood Newcastle fan who came through its academy. Carroll made his senior debut for Newcastle aged 17, but it wasn’t until his third season that he started to shine.
The striker suffered relegation with Newcastle during the 2008-09 season, though he did net his first three Premier League goals. Carroll was influential in gaining instant promotion back to the Premier League, scoring 17 league goals during the 2009-10 Championship season.
Carroll’s form continued in the Premier League, as he scored 11 goals in 19 games the following season and earned his first call-up to the England national team. In January 2011, Liverpool signed Carroll from Newcastle in a deal worth $45 million after losing striker Fernando Torres to Chelsea in the same transfer window.
The move didn’t work out as expected, as Carroll scored just six Premier League goals for Liverpool before being sold to West Ham United in the summer of 2013 for $20 million. After spending seven seasons with West Ham, Carroll was re-signed by Newcastle.
Carroll may no longer be playing at the top level, but his passion for the game is clear to see. Once his Premier League career came to an end, Carroll had stints at Reading and West Bromwich Albion, which led to him dropping to the third tier of English soccer.
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The striker then moved to France and joined Amiens before his latest venture with Bordeaux, who were crowned French champions as recently as 2009. However, recent financial issues meant that Bordeaux had to file for administration, leading to all player contracts being canceled and the team losing its professional status.
Bordeaux is now in the fourth tier of French soccer, and Carroll is earning approximately $3,000 per month. “To be honest, it actually costs me money to play for Bordeaux, but it’s never been about money in my career. I’m just happy to play football, I want to be part of the history of this club,” Carroll said of his decision to join Bordeaux.
