I was West Ham captain & had a Ferrari on the drive… now I live in rented flat and almost went to jail over bankruptcy

A FORMER West Ham captain who once had a Ferrari on his drive now lives in a rented flat - and almost went to jail over his bankruptcy.

Lucas Neill used to earn £40,000 a week as the Hammers' skipper between 2007 and 2009.

The Australian defender starred for the Socceroos at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

At the height of his success he splashed out on a Ferrari and luxury holidays in the Maldives.

But last week Neill appeared at Preston Crown Court charged with failing to declare money he never knew he had.

The trial came after seven years of bankruptcy, with Neill facing three years in prison if convicted.

Neill has opened up about his financial ruin after a jury acquitted him in just 26 minutes.

He told : "Behind my chair in the dock were stairs going to the cells.

"I’ve won my freedom, but I feel like I’ve lost in life.

"I feel like I didn’t protect my family. And that hurts. I let my family down."

Neill was accused of hiding more than £2million from his creditors as his money problems spiralled out of control.

The star ploughed huge sums into a scheme which he thought would see him get big tax breaks in return for investing in British films.

But HMRC ordered him to pay back £400,000 after probing the dodgy scheme - which had been touted to footballers by financial advisers.

Neill was forced to sell over seven properties, losing money on each one.

He then defaulted on a NatWest loan he had taken out to pay for a barn near Newcastle, which was held in an offshore fund.

Neill was left owing the bank £737,000 - and was declared bankrupt in 2016.

He said: "People couldn’t believe it, but I had nothing left. That was my rock bottom.

"After 20 years of a football career and all this hard work, I’ve got nothing to show for it."

Neill forgot to mention 144 acres of land he had bought around the barn when listing his assets for repossession.

The Insolvency Service probed Neill for seven years, leaving him unable to own a house or even buy a mobile phone contract.

One morning his kids answered the door to bailiffs demanding a £400 council tax bill.

But Neill has now been found not guilty of hiding the offshore money.

He is now coaching women and girls at a football club while working for a tech firm.

His lawyer Joseph Kotrie Monson said: "Now it’s time for him to enjoy his restored reputation and get back into the world of sport and broadcasting."