Wayne Rooney has rejected claims by former England teammate Andy Carroll that he drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes while on international duty, describing the account in Carroll’s new autobiography as a “fabrication.”
Carroll made the claims in his new book, Owning It, alleging that Rooney invited fellow England players to his hotel room for beer and cigarettes while they were on international duty around 2010 and 2011.
Writing about Rooney, Carroll claimed: “He’d be surrounded by cartons of fags, crates of lager and bottles of wine (which he got the hotel manager to deliver to his room), and soon his room would be full of players. “No one got smashed, it was just Wazza’s way of breaking the monotony with a couple of drinks.”
Rooney publicly disputed Carroll’s account, saying he does not usually respond to inaccurate stories about himself but felt compelled to address the allegation. “I don’t normally comment on falsehoods written about me — but I will address this one,” Rooney said.
“Andy knows that he and I never really socialised. I bumped into him once, coincidentally, while on a holiday — but that’s about it. As for this ‘tale’ about me drinking on England duty, it’s a fabrication. I don’t know where the story comes from. It’s disappointing.”
Carroll has since stood by his version of events, according to a friend quoted in the report, who said the former striker was surprised by Rooney’s denial. “Andy is beyond baffled by the suggestion that he invented a story,” the friend said.
“He has no reason to make something like this up and stands by every word of his account. This is how Andy remembers the night and he won’t be bullied into changing his version simply because someone else now disputes it. It is his honest recollection of the events as he experienced them. He is so proud of this book.” The friend also said Carroll’s autobiography underwent editorial and legal scrutiny before publication.
“The manuscript was carefully assessed ahead of publishing, with the appropriate checks undertaken in line with standard publishing practice,” the source said. “The book went through all the usual editorial and legal checks before being printed.”
Rooney and Carroll were both members of the England national team during their playing careers, but Rooney maintains that the pair did not regularly socialise. Carroll’s account and Rooney’s denial leave conflicting versions of the alleged events, with no independent evidence provided in the report establishing which account is accurate.