Garry O'Connor speaks

[.Sean.]

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.”

[Famous Fiver]

Is he working?

[Pretty Boy]

Maybe Garry realising the simple things in life are more important than the things money can buy.

Good luck to him sorting things out.

[Phil D. Rolls]

A five year old Mercedes - his chauffeur must be ashamed to drive it.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

£900 a week at Hibs, it'd be really interesting to see what sort of wages we pay now. It would appear Hibs are not the size of club that some of us would like to think we are. Nice stadium though.

[keep the faith]

Hibs were only paying Garry 900 a week in 2011?

[Hibernia&Alba]

It's yet another sad story about young kids having too much too young and blowing it. They don't help themselves, but the money goes to their head, and no doubt there are plenty of hangers on who quickly disappear when the money runs out. He must be kicking himself, he was set for life, but there's no excuse for two grand Dolce & Gabbana tracksuits. You can't buy class, Gary :-D


By he way, he doesn't mention how much he may have blown on white powder ;-)

[.Sean.]

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Maybe Garry realising the simple things in life are more important than the things money can buy.

Good luck to him sorting things out.

He went down the road loads of folk that age take with the partying etc. The whole talk of drugs will probably horrify older posters on here but the amount of young folk up to no good with them on a night out is unreal and I doubt just because someone plays football that's gonna dissuade them too much from taking them.

Hopefully he's now finally knocked all that nonsense on his head, for the sake of his family. He's made mistakes but nobody's perfect. I'll remember him as the player he was and all the goals he scored for the club and nothing else.

[21.05.2016]

Read this this morning, a real real fall from grace. A young, daft laddie that had too much money and too many of the wrong people around him. He admits himself that he thought he was a it of a "jack the lad" that enjoyed showing off his cash. Like I say, daft laddie that couldn't handle his fortune properly and seems to have had a lot of hanger on that took advantage. A shame that he never made more of his football career, If he had stayed away from the drugs and the booze and kept himself fit and focused on the football then he would have had a very sucessful career both for club and country IMO. Its a shame he is where he is now but glad to see that he's finally seen sense and is in a happier place. People like O'Connor get ruined by too much money. I genuinly hope he does well at Sellkirk and gets himself back fit again and doing what he does best -playing football.

[Mr White]

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By he way, he doesn't mention how much he may have blown on white powder ;-)

Aye you'd go through a lot of daz with a wardrobe full of 2 grand tracksuits.

[Hibernia&Alba]

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Aye you'd go through a lot of daz with a wardrobe full of 2 grand tracksuits.

Exactly :-D


I didn't even know there are tracksuits that cost two grand. Gaudy doesn't even come close to describing that.

[Mr White]

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Exactly :-D


I didn't even know there are tracksuits that cost two grand. Gaudy doesn't even come close to describing that.

They're a waste of money unless you buy some £850 trainers to go with them.

[Alfred E Newman]

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Hibs were only paying Garry 900 a week in 2011?

I would imagine that was a basic and not counting win bonuses, a rarity at Hibs. £46k a year basic is not bad really.

[keep the faith]

Yeah it would have made sense for him being on an incentive based contract at that point.

[Pete]

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A five year old Mercedes - his chauffeur must be ashamed to drive it.

I'm shocked at that bit. If he's only paying £65 a week to the council you'd think he'd be able to afford a better car.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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I'm shocked at that bit. If he's only paying £65 a week to the council you'd think he'd be able to afford a better car.

Just shows you, there's more to life than money. Not sure I could cope with driving a 5 year old Merc in Muirhouse - it's bad enough having to admit I don't own a property in Provence.

[hibeemikey21]

He had a Ferrari at 21??? When he was still with Hibs???? Surely not

[21.05.2016]

I think money can ruin young players. Goes to their heads, they start thinking they are big time charlies that have made it and the focus shifts from their football and suddenly to this new found celebrity life-style.

I'm not saying its the case for all young players, I mean look at Fletch etc. who earned a decent amount but still kept his feet on the ground and has since gone out to make something of his career. But people like O'Connor begin to love the lifestyle and the fame more than the football IMO and get easily led astray. I recall speaking to a few folk ages ago that said they had seen O'Connor up town a couple of times and he would be giving it the big un' and acting like a bit of a big shot, the whole kind of "Do you know who I am" routine. He enjoyed the popularity but was too daft to realise a lot of people were just using him and I'm willing to bet that many of them are nowhere to be seen now a days!

[Hibernia&Alba]

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He had a Ferrari at 21??? When he was still with Hibs???? Surely not

It was nicked, but it still counts :-D

[Pete]

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He had a Ferrari at 21??? When he was still with Hibs???? Surely not

I think he read "How to aquire your dream car" by Christian Nade.

[DAVE1875]

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A five year old Mercedes - his chauffeur must be ashamed to drive it.

Deek's gotta do something to rake in the cash as well mate

[CallumLaidlaw]

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Hibs were only paying Garry 900 a week in 2011?

Suppose that might be what he took home, so we'd be paying him double that

[SunshineOnLeith]

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As O’Connor’s career nosedived,

lol

[emerald green]

Two grand for a tracksuit FFS. You can get one much cheaper than that in Matalan.

[silverhibee]

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He went down the road loads of folk that age take with the partying etc. The whole talk of drugs will probably horrify older posters on here but the amount of young folk up to no good with them on a night out is unreal and I doubt just because someone plays football that's gonna dissuade them too much from taking them.

Hopefully he's now finally knocked all that nonsense on his head, for the sake of his family. He's made mistakes but nobody's perfect. I'll remember him as the player he was and all the goals he scored for the club and nothing else.

Pretty sure it's not a new thing Sean even the auld fitba players were in to it back in the old days.

[Swedish hibee]

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£900 a week at Hibs, it'd be really interesting to see what sort of wages we pay now

I know for a fact there are many on just under this right now.

[hibees 7062]

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He had a Ferrari at 21??? When he was still with Hibs???? Surely not

Insurance would have been a problem

[Mr White]

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Insurance would have been a problem

A sign of things to come for big Gaz.

[hibees 7062]

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A sign of things to come for big Gaz.

Surprised he can get it now

[Northernhibee]

Hopefully learning to appreciate the small things is what he needs to turn his life around.