Andy Carroll

Newcastle United

2006–07

Carroll, an occasional scorer in Newcastle United's reserve team, signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2006. He made his first-team debut on 2 November 2006 at the age of 17 years and 300 days in a 1–0 UEFA Cup win over Palermo, coming on as a late substitute for Nolberto Solano. In doing so, he became the youngest ever player to represent Newcastle. He made his FA Cup debut on 17 January 2007, appearing as substitute for the last ten minutes in the 5–1 home defeat by Birmingham City. On 25 February 2007, Carroll made his Premier League debut for Newcastle, coming on as a substitute in the 87th minute in the 1–0 defeat by Wigan Athletic, almost scoring in the process; only a good save from Wigan goalkeeper John Filan prevented him from scoring his first Newcastle goal. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Wor Jackie Milburn Trophy, awarded every year to the rising star of North-East football, chosen amongst current Newcastle players.

2007–08

On 29 July 2007, Carroll scored his first senior goal with a left-foot shot in a 2–0 win over Juventus in a friendly match. After the match, Carroll received praise from Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who tipped Carroll to have a big future. On 14 August 2007, Carroll began a six-month loan with Preston North End, and made his debut for them in the League Cup against Morecambe on the same day. Carroll received his first red card of his professional…

England youth teams

On 11 September 2007, Carroll made his England under-19 debut against Belarus, scoring in the 4–0 victory. On 12 March 2009, Carroll was called up to the England under-20s for a match against Italy, but was withdrawn from the squad and replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu.

Carroll received his first call up to the England under-21s on 5 August 2009. He made his debut on 11 August 2009 against the Netherlands, coming on as a second-half substitute. On his second cap with the under-21 team, on 9 October 2009 against Macedonia, he scored two goals and assisted another as England won 6–3.

England senior team

Carroll's performances for Newcastle United earned him a call-up to the England squad for the friendly against France on 17 November 2010. He passed a late fitness test to start the match. He scored his first senior goal for England, a low left-foot drive into the bottom corner, on 29 March 2011 in a friendly against Ghana which ended 1–1. On 15 May 2012, Carroll was included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He opened the scoring for England with a powerful header in their second group match against Sweden, which England went on to win 3–2.

Early in his career, Carroll was compared to Newcastle's record goalscorer Alan Shearer, Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and Italy forward Christian Vieri. He was referred to as a classic centre forward, owing to his strength, powerful shot and excellent heading ability. Former Newcastle manager and Liverpool player Kevin Keegan stated "he is probably in the top three headers of a ball I have ever seen in football". After Newcastle's 2-0 defeat at home to Blackpool in September 2010, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway described Carroll as "the best striker in the Premier League". A strong and very physical centre-forward, Carroll is distinguished by his powerful aerial abilities, with former West Ham manager Slaven Bilić claiming in 2016 that he was "the best in the world at heading a football".

Born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, Carroll attended Brighton Avenue Primary School and Joseph Swan School. He is a model for clothing retail company H&M and has fronted a campaign led by fashion designer Alexander Wang. In November 2014, Carroll became engaged to reality TV star Billi Mucklow. The couple live in Essex. Their son was born in 2015. He has two children from a previous relationship. In November 2017, Mucklow and Carroll had a second child. The couple announced that they were divorcing in 2024. In November 2016, Carroll was approached by two men on motorcycles while driving near his home in Brentwood, Essex. Armed with a handgun, they attempted to steal his £22,000 watch but failed. Carroll was then chased in his car for about 20 minutes as he drove back to West Ham's training ground in Rush Green to get help from security staff. In September 2017, 22-year-old Jack O'Brien was found guilty of the attempted robbery. He was sentenced to six years in prison for the offence. In May 2019, Carroll was listed as the 14th-wealthiest sports person aged 30 or under in The Sunday Times Rich List, his personal wealth having increased to £19 million. On 28 December 2025, Carroll was arrested for breaching a non-molestation order.