Andy Carroll Biography

Andy Carroll Biography

Andrew Thomas "Andy" Carroll (born 6 January 1989 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team.

The fee of £35 million paid by Liverpool for Caroll's transfer from Newcastle United on 31 January 2011 is the highest ever amount for a British footballer. Carroll is the eighth-most expensive footballer in history and also the second-most expensive player playing for a British club, behind Fernando Torres, who moved from Liverpool to Chelsea for £50 million on the same day Carroll signed for Liverpool.

Born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, Carroll attended Brighton Avenue Primary School and Joseph Swan School.Carroll and his ex-girlfriend have a daughter, born 15 September 2009.

Carroll has been involved in many off-the-pitch incidents in his career. On 14 September 2008, he was arrested by police in Newcastle, and later accepted a police caution. On 7 December 2009, he was arrested in the aftermath of a nightclub fight, again in Newcastle, accused of smashing glass in a man's face. He was charged with assault and in October 2010 he pleaded guilty to common assault and was fined £1,000. He was also ordered to pay £2,500 compensation.

He was also involved in an incident on the training ground which allegedly left teammate Steven Taylor with a broken jaw, though no charges were filed according to police. Carroll reportedly suffered a broken hand in the incident, and he was shortly photographed at a pop concert with bandages to both hands. Newcastle manager Chris Hughton and club representatives declined to comment any further on the incident.

On 18 October 2010, Carroll was charged with assault in an incident with his ex-girlfriend. Claiming self-defence, and having given a local hotel as his address, Carroll was granted bail on the condition that he resided with Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan until the case resumed in January. The charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. Two days following his bail, Carroll's car was set on fire whilst parked on Nolan's driveway, with the club captain's garage door also being daubed with obscenities.

Whilst on international duty with England U-19s, Carroll and teammates Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand were sent home from the squad after breaking a curfew on 14 October 2007 during preparation for a match against Romania U-19s.

Following England's 1-1 draw with Ghana on 29 March 2011, England manager Fabio Capello told Carroll to curtail his drinking habits. This was quickly refuted by Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who stated "Well he's never bought me a drink. I've been with him at Boyzone concerts and he's still never bought me a drink!"