SKINT soccer badboy Garry O’Connor has revealed he blew his £4million fortune on parties, sports cars — and a £2,000 tracksuit.

The fallen football ace splashed out £2million on a fleet of Ferraris and spent the same amount again on two luxury mansions.

O’Connor — who once raked in almost £20,000 a week — enjoyed spending sprees in Harvey Nichols costing him up to £15,000 a time.

But his lavish lifestyle eventually left him penniless in a £65-a-week council house.


And the ex-Scotland star admitted: “I didn’t think about the risks — my life was out of control and it was just a matter of time before I got caught.


“It was just stupidity, but who wouldn’t enjoy it?


“I had my first Ferrari when I was 21 — not many people can say that.


“I would go and buy a Dolce & Gabbana tracksuit for £2,000.


“If I went to Harvey Nichols I would spend ten to 15 grand without even blinking.”


O’Connor, 31, was once tipped as one of Scotland’s brightest prospects.


He was soon caught up in the party lifestyle as he broke into football’s top level.


And as his wages soared, so did his spending. He said: “I think when you are in that circle where you have a massive income you can afford to do things like that and most footballers do things like that.


“Maybe if I had been in the Premiership for ten years I could have done that.

“I had lots of nice things — nice cars and nice houses.


“But bad investments in properties have destroyed me. I’m not great with money, I never have been.”


O’Connor splashed out a huge chunk of his footballing fortune on a fleet of expensive supercars including a Porsche 911 Carrera. And at the height of his spending madness, he swapped his £100,000 motor every six months.


He said: “I’ve had them all — three Ferraris, three Bentleys, maybe five or six Range Rovers.


“I would have the car for about six months and trade it in at a loss. I’ve probably wasted about £2million on cars alone.


“I was definitely a Jack the lad back then. People who know me best will say it’s just a front though, me trying to be the big guy.”


As O’Connor’s career nosedived, his debts began to pile up.


He had spent £1.3million on a mansion in exclusive Archerfield, East Lothian, as well as a similar sprawling pad in Solihull, West Midlands, while playing for Birmingham City.

But when his salary dropped, he struggled to meet the repayments on the luxury properties. He said: “The house in Archerfield absolutely crippled me. The mortgage alone was £20,000 a month.


When I was back at Hibs in 2011 I was trying to pay £20,000 a month on a salary of £900 a week.


“My wife and I were living off our credit cards and overdrafts.

O’Connor admits he is still plagued by regrets over squandering his massive fortune. And he is determined that his three children won’t grown up to make the same mistakes with cash that he did.


He said: “I feel like I’ve let a lot of people down in my career.


“I could’ve played in the Premier League for years as I had the ability but basically I chucked it all away. I feel like I’ve let my kids down. I feel bad that they don’t have the inheritance that they should have.


“I try to protect my kids and keep them away from it. Your kids will always forgive you.


“They never do without. They also save their pocket money up so they can get things.


“We try to teach my kids the value of money and not to repeat my mistakes.”


The fleet of Ferraris and lavish spending sprees on designer gear are now a distant memory. Instead, O’Connor coaches and plays for junior side Selkirk and drives a five-year-old Mercedes.


His wife Lisa works in a tanning salon to bring in extra cash for the family, but despite their money problems, the couple insist they have never been happier.

He said: “I don’t have the big house, I don’t have the flash car and I couldn’t be happier in life. All that stuff is irrelevant. It was nice to have at the time but it didn’t bring me happiness.”


He added: “We’re much happier now as a family than we were back then.

“Now I’m not trying to keep up with my team-mates and I’m more focused on my family life than ever.”