Benoit Assou-Ekotto denies claims he wants to become a pornstar

Harry Redknapp said over the weekend that he had wanted to sign Assou-Ekotto for Birmingham City but the Frenchman was more interested in a career in pornography

Benoit Assou-Ekotto is a free agent after being released by French side Metz (Getty)

Benoit Assou-Ekotto has laughed off claims that he plans to turn his back on football in order to become a porn star.

Harry Redknapp said over the weekend that he had wanted to sign Assou-Ekotto for Birmingham City but the Frenchman was more interested in a career in pornography.

However, the former Tottenham defender has said he’ll “stay in football” and insisted Redknapp’s remarks, made via the Spurs Show podcast, were a joke.

“The only trouble is that he’s admitted he wants to be a porn star,” Redknapp said when asked if he wanted to sign Assou-Ekotto.

“Maybe I can get another year out of him before he decides to do that. What a good player. He could well end up in the Birmingham colours next year, Benoit.”

Assou-Ekotto, who is currently a free agent after being released at the end of the season by French club Metz, dismissed the idea, saying it would be “too taboo” for him.

Speaking to France Football, the 33-year-old said: “A lady in England alerted me on Twitter at the time, it rather surprised me.

“From what I understood, it was in a show, Redknapp was asked about the players he would like to recruit. He talked about me, joked, and then he moved on.

“It made me laugh, but my mother discovered it this morning, Mother’s Day. She told me she would have preferred another gift.

“It was just a joke, it’s not bad. What’s absurd is that we can take it seriously. As if I wanted to become a porn actor! It’s far too taboo.”

The defender is renowned for being something of a maverick and has previously spoken openly about how he doesn’t consider football to be a passion and how he instead treats his career as a professional player as “just a job”.