Alexis Andre Jr is certainly not your average football player.
The Maidstone United goalkeeper has built a significant following as a social media influencer. He also won a popular reality television series and his girlfriend previously competed in Miss Universe.
The French goalkeeper, born in France, has amassed around five million followers across TikTok and Instagram. He began creating content at the start of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown while he was playing for Bristol Rovers.
Andre, whose Maidstone team is scheduled to play Boreham Wood in the National League South play-off final this Sunday, stated: “During the first lockdown, I had nothing else to do.
“I make content about various things – my life, my career, and everything in between.
“After the first lockdown, I returned to Bristol Rovers and my social media following was bigger than the club`s!”
“Now, the club has its own TikTok account.
“However, I don`t want people to view me solely as a social media content creator and not a footballer.”
“This balance has never caused issues at any club I`ve been with because I always conduct myself professionally and respectfully.”
His recent TikTok posts include dancing with his girlfriend to current trends, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Maidstone`s play-off semi-final victory against Eastbourne, showcasing modeling work for fashion brands, and quizzing his teammates on football knowledge.
Andre is the son of a man from Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean. Tragically, he was abandoned by his Moroccan mother at a railway station in his hometown of Mulhouse when he was just four years old.
This difficult experience formed his ‘secret’ on the reality TV show Secret Story, where contestants aim to keep their personal secret hidden.
Andre, who won the show last year and received £105,000 in prize money, commented: “My father raised me, and I have no contact with my mother. I didn`t feel the lack of a mother`s love because my dad, Alex, provided me with everything.”
He also met his girlfriend, Belgian TV presenter Zoe Brunet – who finished in the top 20 of Miss Universe 2018 – during the filming of the show.
Now, he is focused on achieving another victory, this time with Maidstone, as they seek promotion back to the National League after a two-season absence.
The decisive match will be played at Boreham Wood’s Meadow Park ground because they finished higher in the league standings than Maidstone (nicknamed the Stones).
Andre, who holds a divisional record of 23 clean sheets, said: “We are comfortable playing there because we feel more confident as the away side, which has been true for us throughout the season.
“However, we understand this is a crucial one-off game and we absolutely must perform.”
Andre spent seven years developing in the Strasbourg youth system and played lower-tier football in both France and Germany before joining the Nike Academy, based at the St George’s Park National Football Centre.
Following his time there, he had a trial with Bristol Rovers and signed for them, although he only managed one senior team appearance.
Andre, who is also signed to the leading modeling agency SELECT, was brought to Maidstone last summer by manager George Elokobi. He regards the former Wolves defender as the best coach he has worked under.
