Fans of French giants Girondins Bordeaux were left making a disappointed double take after thinking they’d signed Premier League great Juan Mata.
The Champions League and World Cup winner was a free agent after leaving Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers, and appeared to have picked up a Bordeaux shirt.
InstagramMelbourne and a football fashion site tricked fans into thinking Mata had joined Bordeaux[/caption] Bordeaux have a very similar kit and badge comboAFPHowever, his latest signing announcement was instead him wearing a Melbourne Victory jersey, a near carbon copy of Bordeaux’s famous navy blue and white number.
The club themselves even joined in on the fun, responding to a post from a French football fashion Instagram that was shared by Melbourne.
‘Bienvenue’ they wrote, or welcome in English.
Quite why the two clubs have such similar kits and even badges appears to be a mystery.
Melbourne have sported the same colours and ‘scapular’ V since their creation in 2004, with other sports teams in the area also using the V from victory, or the state of Victoria.
Kit manufactures may also have some blame, with Melbourne City similarly matching Manchester City in kit colour and sponsor.
As for Bordeaux, supporters of the six-time French champions could’ve been forgiven for thinking they might be big enough to land the former Manchester United and Chelsea man, given who played for them last season.
Andy Carroll’s Bordeaux adventure
Bordeaux already fielded Andy Carroll during the 2024/25 campaign, with the ex-Liverpool and Newcastle striker landing in their time of need.
Girondins were administratively relegated from the second tier to the semi-professional fourth ahead of that season as owner Gerard Lopez couldn’t prove the club’s financial security to French football’s financial body [DNCG].
Already playing in France with second tier side Amiens, Carroll opted to help out the traditional side and scored 11 times in 23 games.
A picture of Andy Carroll playing for Bordeaux… or is it Melbourne?AFPExplaining his move, he said it was actually costing him money to play for Bordeaux.
“I joined because it’s a great project,” he said.“Unfortunately, the club has been relegated several divisions but it’s a big club and we’re going to try to put it back where it should be.
“I just love football and it was an opportunity to play for a big French club. The level you play at doesn’t matter in the end. I love playing football and that’s what I came here to do. I really hope we can achieve our goals this season.
“To be honest, it even costs me money to have gone to play for the Girondins. But I play football and I’m simply happy to play football. I want to be part of the history of this club and to be honest it’s not a question of money. In my career, it’s never been a question of money.”
Local reports from Sud Ouest claimed Carroll was earning €1,614 per month (around £1400), by far the lowest salary of his storied career, which made him the 15th best-paid player in the squad.
He pocketed a €2,000 bonus for reaching ten goals, and was set for a substantial salary increase to €13,000 per-month or €156,000 per year should Bordeaux have achieved promotion to the third tier.
Carroll is now back in London with Dagenham & RedbridgeGetty Mata is continuing his Aussie adventure, swapping Sydney for MelbourneGettyHowever, France’s fourth tier National 2 is regionalised into three leagues with just one team from each earning promotion and Bordeaux ultimately ended the season fourth.
That saw Carroll heading back to England with Dagenham & Redbridge in the sixth-tier National League South.
There was at least some good news for Bordeaux, who passed this year’s DNCG check with ease and will again be able to aim for promotion.
Mata, meanwhile, is similar to Carroll in that he doesn’t seem entirely motivated by money, resisting the Middle East and US for other adventures.
Having racked up 278 Premier League appearances and 106 goal contributions from 2011 to 2022, he left England for Galatasaray to play in front of one of the most fierce atmospheres in world football.
He then continued his globe-trotting by leaving the continent for Vissel Kobe in Japan, later making the jump to Australia with Western Sydney and Melbourne.
The 37-year-old has also continued his late career success with league titles in Turkey and Japan.
Hence then, the article about fans of french crisis club tricked into thinking premier league great has signed as andy carroll s replacement was published today ( ) and is available on talksport ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Fans of French crisis club tricked into thinking Premier League great has signed as Andy Carroll’s replacement )
Also on site :