Andy Carroll has revealed how a disciplinary incident during his England Under-19 days unexpectedly ended with him heading to Ibiza.

The former England striker recounts the story in his new autobiography, Owning It, published on September 24, 2026.

Sent home from England duty

The incident happened in October 2007, when Carroll was 18 and on international duty with England Under-19s.

Carroll, along with Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand, was sent home after breaking the team's curfew while the squad was preparing for a match against Romania.

At the time, England Under-19 coach Brian Eastick confirmed that the three players had been sent home for breaking the team's code of conduct.

Carroll's account of what happened

In his memoir, Carroll provides his own account of the night.

He recalls that Bertrand suggested going out for a walk, while Carroll came up with a plan for the players to leave the team hotel without being noticed.

According to Carroll, the trio hid their England tracksuits near a fire exit and went out with the intention of visiting a couple of bars.

Their evening was cut short, however. Carroll says they had only reached McDonald's when they were informed that the coaching staff knew they had left.

The players returned to the hotel, where Carroll recalls being confronted by goalkeeper coach Tony Parks and then Eastick.

Carroll says Eastick told the three players they were being sent home immediately.

An unexpected reaction from Sam Allardyce

Carroll expected more trouble when he returned to Newcastle United, where Sam Allardyce was manager at the time.

Instead, Carroll says Allardyce listened to his explanation and decided to give him three days off during the international break.

That led to a rather unexpected change of plans.

While Sinclair and Bertrand returned to their clubs, Carroll says he used his time off to travel to Ibiza.

In the memoir, he looks back on the decision with clear amusement, describing himself as having “a ball in Ibiza” while his team-mates were dealing with the consequences at Chelsea.

The incident did not end his England career

Being sent home from the Under-19 squad did not prevent Carroll from progressing internationally.

He later represented England at Under-21 level before making his senior debut in 2010.

Carroll went on to win nine senior England caps and scored twice for the national team, including against Sweden at Euro 2012.

A story from the early years of Carroll's career

The Ibiza episode is one of several personal stories featured in Owning It, which covers Carroll's career from his beginnings at Newcastle through his move to Liverpool, West Ham, Newcastle and his later years in France.

The memoir was released by Pan Macmillan on September 24, 2026.

Nearly two decades after the original incident, Carroll's account has given a memorable twist to a disciplinary story that began with a broken curfew and ended with an unplanned trip to Ibiza.