Harry Redknapp was left penniless in motel room after conman's trick

Harry Redknapp and his family were forced to live in a motel after the football legend was left penniless by a criminal football club owner in the United States.

Redknapp left English football in 1976 to play in America after long spells with West Ham, Bournemouth and Brentford. The midfielder initially joined Seattle Sounders as a player-coach but moved to Phoenix Rising three years later after being offered a "silly" amount of cash and two new sports cars by the club's owner - businessman Len Lesser.

Future Premier League boss Redknapp admitted he "wasn't sure" about Lesser and his concerns were realised when the squad turned up for a pre-season match with no kit. The shirts eventually turned up just before kick-off - but without a proper goalkeeper's jersey.

Writing in his new book - 'When Harry Met Sandra' - Redknapp claimed: "I told him: 'Len, our keeper can't wear the same kit as the players. He needs his own kit!' 'Harry,' he replied patronisingly, 'we will be the smartest team in the league, we are all going to wear the same uniform'. I still didn't have a good feeling about Len.

"And my instincts were proven right when during a trip to the bank a few weeks later the cashier told me I had no money in my account. 'That can't be right,' I told her. 'I have just been paid my first month's wages.' But it was right. I hadn't been paid."

As it turned out, Lesser was a conman who convinced six investors to pump millions of dollars into a fake club before stealing the cash. Phoenix didn't even play a single competitive match and they were later dubbed the "phantom team".

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Lesser was later arrested and thrown into prison for three years - but that didn't stop Redknapp and his family from being stranded in a motel. "We couldn't get anything else as we had no money," Redknapp added. "He stole the lot."

Thankfully for Redknapp, he was handed a route back into English football by Bobby Moore. England's World Cup-winning skipper had become the boss of Oxford City and made his former West Ham teammate Redknapp their assistant manager.

Two years later, Redknapp was given his first managerial role at Bournemouth and started making his way up the football pyramid, later taking charge of West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham, QPR, Jordan and Birmingham City before retiring in 2017.

Redknapp wasn't the only player to join Phoenix's roster. Other English stars included Bournemouth regulars Kieron Baker, Neil Hague and Terry Shanahan - as well as former Swindon Town ace Tommy Jenkins. They were all sold the American dream by Lesser.

Speaking to the Quickly Kevin podcast about the Phoenix ordeal in May 2021, Redknapp said: "I took a load of mates of mine really, they were footballers but they were mates."

Redknapp added: "They all loved me, they got on the plane singing 'good old Harry', we are out there then payday comes and all the cheques bounce, none of us had any money and we all got thrown out of the hotel and they all came home."

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