Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll has been charged with assaulting a teenage girl, police said on Monday.
The 21-year-old forward, who played in Newcastle's 2-2 draw with Wigan on Saturday, is due to appear in court later on Monday.
Officers were called shortly after 6 am on Sunday to a house in Ponteland area of Northumberland after the assault was reported, the spokesman said. An 18-year-old girl at the scene was found to have suffered a minor head injury.
Carroll, who has scored four times in the Premier League this season and has been tipped to win a call-up to the England squad, recently signed a new five-year deal with Newcastle.