Premier League Legend Shocks Football World with Stunning Non-League Switch
The professional journey of ex-Premier League forward Andy Carroll remains fascinating, as the 36-year-old prepares to compete in England's sixth division for the upcoming campaign.
Carroll emerged as a talent with his hometown team Newcastle United in the early 2010s, with his impressive performances securing him a lucrative transfer to Liverpool in 2011. The tall striker struggled to validate his substantial £35 million ($47.3 million) transfer fee, though he found greater success in the more modest setting of West Ham United.
Despite battling numerous injuries, Carroll remained in east London for six seasons, netting 26 Premier League strikes for the Hammers.
After departing in 2019, Carroll made his way back to Newcastle for a two-year spell before having short periods with Reading and West Bromwich Albion. He subsequently ventured abroad, joining Ligue 2 side Amiens in 2023 and later Bordeaux, who competed even lower in the French football structure, in the subsequent year.
Carroll began the summer without a club, and his newest destination has now been announced. The forward is heading back to England and will feature in the National League South for Dagenham & Redbridge, who dropped to the sixth tier in the previous campaign. The BBC is among the outlets confirming that Carroll has penned a three-year contract with the Daggers, who have recently been acquired by a group of private investors from Qatar.
The 36-year-old has also allegedly purchased a minority ownership in the organization.
"The division doesn't matter, or anything else, as long as I step onto the field and play the game, that's what counts," Carroll stated in a conversation with Sky Sports.
"Joining here and demonstrating to people that I am simply playing for my passion for football rather than financial gain and status is something I was eager to pursue. This represents something that could be extraordinary. We have an ambition to lift them from non-league and progress up the divisions."
Carroll, who earned nine caps for England and found the net at Euro 2012, mentioned he received offers from teams in "superior divisions" during the summer, but will instead dedicate 2025–26 and future seasons to visiting venues like AFC Totton, Enfield Town and Chesham United.