Football : Sun, sea, soft-top and football

Phil Gordon reports on the rich attractions that lured John Collins abroad

David Coulthard fidgeted nervously when he caught sight of a fellow Scotsman on the flight home from Nice recently. Just a few rows ahead was John Collins. The footballer, admits the racing driver, is one of his sporting heroes but Coulthard was too shy to introduce himself.

It's not a problem Collins or his Monaco team-mates encounter too often in the Principality. The Monegasque public, more concerned with the pursuit of money and spending it, have a distinct air of indifference to their accomplished team.

An average crowd at the Stade Louis II is likely to be just 5,000, despite pole position in the French league. If celebrities from the sports world do register, then it is more likely to be Boris Becker or one of the host Formula One stars, such as Coulthard, who have set up home under the Cote d'Azur's tax umbrella.

The money, a reputed pounds 1m a season - tax-free, naturally - during his three-year contract, and the sun were two of the reasons Collins opted for Monaco when he left Celtic last summer to become the first British player to cash in on the Bosman ruling.

The other was football. The evidence that Monaco supplied in their 1- 0 Uefa Cup victory against Newcastle at St James' Park 10 days ago vindicated the Scot's judgement on that score, while anyone making the trip to Monte Carlo for Tuesday night's second leg of the quarter-final will not need to pose any further questions as to why Collins chose it ahead of England's Premiership.

"The quality of life here is superb," he said, almost embarrassed to talk of the subject, lest you think he's rubbing it in. "It is a beautiful place and great to bring up children. The beach is right across the road from our apartment, which was great for my wife [Susan], and our daughters [Julia and Hannah] when we first arrived here in July. They were able to use it a lot while I was at training."

"The temperature yesterday was 19C and when you wake up and sun is shining, it makes you want to go to work," he added. "The drive to our training ground up in the hills is fantastic, it looks out on to the Mediterranean. It's so different from turning up in Glasgow in the wind and the rain."

You can understand why the charms of the Wirral or Teesside - Everton and Middlesbrough both offered pounds 2.5m for Collins before he took advantage of his free-agent status - pale in comparison. "I did think I would end up leaving Celtic for England but when I came over to Monaco, I took one look and fell in love with it."

Collins has become a true Francophile, strolling with his family in the evenings, driving his BMW with the soft-top down, or enjoying cafe au lait and a squint at the newspapers at a pavement cafe - L'Equipe rather than a day-old copy of the Sun. All the perks in this haven of hedonism come with a price. Monaco take their kilo of flesh, in comparison with British clubs. "We train much harder than I ever did at home - morning and afternoon. Pre-season was the worst. They took us to a camp in the Pyrenees and got us up at 7am for the first of three runs in the forest, every day.

"They are very scientific about their approach. The players get regular blood tests to check for deficiencies and know all about their own bodies. I used to wonder where foreigners got that spring in their legs from but I've become fitter here."

Pace is the key to Monaco's game, as Newcastle know. "We sit in and kill the game, then exploit our speed up front," Collins said. "When you have someone like Thierry Henry, the fastest player I've seen, you have to use him. Foreign teams are mentally tougher and more disciplined, but fans in Britain won't let you play it that way."