Former Everton defender Neill declared bankrupt

, 3 May, 29comments | Jump to most recent

One-time Everton player Lucas Neill has been declared bankrupt in the UK according to a report.

The former Australian international fullback, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham star spent a brief spell with the Blues under David Moyes after he was picked up as a free agent in September 2009.

He made 15 appearances in all competitions that season before moving on to Galatasaray for around £1m.

Neill had at one time an estimated personal fortune of £27m according to a report in Australia's Daily Telegraph who suggest the 38-year-old was involved in property investments in the United States and a coaching business in Sydney.

Reader Comments (29)

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Andrew Lightfoot
1 Posted 03/05/2016 at 18:26:36

Was reading this article waiting to see the words 'property investments'. I can't imagine squandering 27 mil. I can't imagine having it in the first place, though.

Paul Hewitt
2 Posted 03/05/2016 at 19:32:10

Why not just leave the money in the bank? 27 million is more than enough to live on. His own stupid fault he lost it.

Mick Davies
3 Posted 03/05/2016 at 19:41:01

Greed is the only motivation with the modern sportsmen/women: moronic TV ads come before their, already obscene wages. Thanks to Jimmy Hill and the 'American Dream, sport is almost dead

Colin Glassar
4 Posted 03/05/2016 at 19:48:11

No sympathy whatsoever for these guy who literally flush millions down the toilet.

Bob Hannigan
6 Posted 03/05/2016 at 22:10:24

Unfortunately these athletes are better with their feet than their heads.£27 mil at the age of 38. Bank it, invest in gold and stick it where the sun don't shine and live happily ever after.

NEVER, I repeat NEVER listen to ANY financial "advisor".

Ray Roche
7 Posted 03/05/2016 at 22:18:50

There was a piece on the BBC (I think) website the other day about the number of footballers who have been mead bankrupt. "Bad property investments", many of them. Long term, property must be as good an investment as is possible. I just don't get it, unless they've trusted some shark of a financial advisor.

Winston Williamson
8 Posted 03/05/2016 at 22:24:42

My old boss got caught up in a property investment in America..he was a financial advisor too...

He lost close to a million, and is still paying mortgages on four 'properties' he's never seen!

Greed greed greed

Joe Clitherow
9 Posted 03/05/2016 at 22:42:51

Only technically an Everton player really given his length of service; a bit like Kenny Sansom or Pat Jennings. Though I did see Kenny turn out for Everton at Goodison....

Victor Jones
10 Posted 04/05/2016 at 03:18:38

Lucas Neill was actually IMO a good player. Shame that he only played a few games for Everton.

I remember when Pat Jennings signed as cover.....I think that he played one game for Northern Ireland whilst listed as an Everton player....but he never played for Everton.

I don't remember Kenny Sansom playing for Everton. And on players signing , but not playing much......how many games did Ernie Hunt and Rod Belfitt play?

And did Everton sign a player from West Ham(during the 1990s) for good money, who ended up injured and never featured much...his name now escapes me...(not Bilic). Up the Toffees..

Mike Prendergast
12 Posted 04/05/2016 at 05:52:37

These guys are so spoilt by the clubs. That when real life bites, they are not equipped to handle it. So theyget mugged by the first snake oil vendor they meet.

John Hughes
13 Posted 04/05/2016 at 08:43:17

Victor Jones(10) was that player Danny Williamson we got from West Ham, played about 15/20 times for the first team?

John Audsley
15 Posted 04/05/2016 at 19:50:11

Kenny Sansom played a good few games for us. He came in just after Keown left for Arsenal.

Left back with Ablett playing Centre back.

Lucas Neill wasn't a bad player for us but clearly he was a financial idiot.

Guy Hastings
16 Posted 04/05/2016 at 20:20:36

Here's a 'great XI' suggestion. The best XI to play for Everton who, if we'd signed them at their combined peak, as opposed to their later years, would have won the world.

I'll throw in Jennings, Sansom, Gough, Gascoigne, Ginola, Beardsley.

Norman Turner
19 Posted 05/05/2016 at 10:04:50

Guy (#16), Samuel Eto'o has to be in there too.

Shane Corcoran
20 Posted 05/05/2016 at 11:13:20

Colin #4, No sympathy whatsoever for these guy who literally flush millions down the toilet.

I would also have little sympathy for such a person. I'd probably have them see a doctor though.

Colin Glassar
21 Posted 05/05/2016 at 11:24:02

Shane, some (or most) of these guys are complete idiots. Is it their fault or the club, I'm not sure but when you hear agents saying they have to change light bulbs for them or show them how to use the shower you have to think seriously that cretinism is rampant in the game.

Shane Corcoran
22 Posted 05/05/2016 at 14:47:17

Colin, I was merely picking up on your use of the word "literally" (highlighted in bold).

Colin Glassar
23 Posted 05/05/2016 at 14:50:04

I didn't highlight it Shane, must've been a higher power.

I see Andrea Bocelli is going to sing before our game against Leicester, I just hope Roberto doesn't try and sign him!!

Shane Corcoran
24 Posted 05/05/2016 at 14:52:03

Colin, I highlighted so that you would know what I was referring to.

Colin Glassar
25 Posted 05/05/2016 at 15:03:28

I get it Shane (I think), I really do. But it's your highlights, not mine.

Shane Corcoran
26 Posted 05/05/2016 at 15:14:11

Colin, I know, I highlighted it. It's just the evolution of the word literally to how it is now used was perfectly "highlighted" in your original post.

I don't think anyone literally flushed money down the toilet.

Colin Glassar
27 Posted 05/05/2016 at 16:19:50

I have heard it's been done before, Shane. Not money though

Denis Richardson
28 Posted 05/05/2016 at 16:34:44

Don't think we need to necessarily shed any tears. Quite often the 'bankruptcy' thing is just to wipe the slate clean and write off debts.

David James also declared bankruptcy not too long ago and he's doing ok... also presume there is cash stashed overseas somewhere anyway.

(Yes, I am a cynic – how do you go from £27m to negative without having something stashed in a tax haven somewhere (or even just in the wife's name)?

Robin Cannon
29 Posted 05/05/2016 at 16:43:48

"I just don't get it, unless they've trusted some shark of a financial advisor."

I think that happens a lot. Lots of these guys have no ability to manage money, they're sitting ducks for the kind of advisors who are more interested in filling their own pockets rather than helping protect the interests of their clients.

Certainly I have sympathy for those kind of bankruptcies.

Oh, and I saw Kenny Sansom not merely play for us, but score for us!

James Stewart
30 Posted 05/05/2016 at 17:00:07

Really strange how you can go from that kinda of wealth to nothing. I liked him as a player underrated and the kind of character we could do with at present.

Michael Penley
31 Posted 05/05/2016 at 17:12:03

You can understand it though. I would guess that if you banked £27 mil to live on you'd be paying quite a lot in taxes. You would probably feel you were having much of your hard work taken away if you didn't invest it. I'd like to think I would buy a small house in the country and be satisfied with a simple existence not worrying too much about the bills, but greed is greed.

Brent Stephens
32 Posted 05/05/2016 at 17:16:06

Michael, it's possible to arrange your ("ones") financial affairs so that those with millions pay less in tax as a percentage of their income than mere mortals (you and I) do.

Ray Roche
33 Posted 05/05/2016 at 17:23:50

John Audsley #15

John Samson played 6 times for Everton, scoring one goal. If you put his name into Google there are some photos that some slimeball has taken of Samson when he is drunk and drinking from a bottle in a park, and then posted them onto the internet. Shitbags, revelling in some ones misfortune.

Kristian Boyce
34 Posted 05/05/2016 at 17:40:58

He's only been declared bankrupt in the UK, partly due to the disbanding of the management company. This doesn't take into account his finances he has in Australia/rest of the world. By the looks of it, the bankruptcy was the easy way out of dissolving an old company in a country in which he had a limited amount of assets. I'd imagine the wealth he's earned over the years is sitting in an account in Oz.

Just a side note, people who are shocked at the rumoured £27M income. He was the guy whose move to Liverpool fell through from Blackburn years ago as he wanted £80k a week. West Ham took him instead and paid him what he wanted. I think we paid him close to £40k, probably why Moyes got him off the books pretty quickly.

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