Andy Carroll interview: ‘There’s always been this fascination with me… You go into dark places’

West Ham’s record signing on the highs of his career and the lows of being ‘Britain’s most hated footballer’

Andy Carroll was never going to settle for a quiet life.

Here he is now, on the eve of his 34th birthday, sitting on the sofa in his house in Northumberland, looking out at the sprawling countryside beyond. And he is happy.

“I think people knew I was a bit of a wild child,” he says, with the hint of a smile. “I think that’s what people latched on to. You take your shirt off after scoring a goal or whatever, the odd thing here and there, and all of a sudden you’re portrayed as this big, out-of-control, party animal. It’s never been the case. I’ve never needed to change. This is who I am.”

Carroll is acutely aware of how he is perceived. He knows that, to some, he will always be the reckless, hard-living, hard-partying footballer. To others, he is the brilliant but ultimately unfulfilled talent who never quite lived up to his potential.

But Carroll does not care. He is at peace with who he is. He is a father of five, a devoted husband, and a man who has learned to live with his mistakes.