Michael Carrick

2.1. Childhood and Education

Born to Vince and Lynn Carrick in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, Michael Carrick's involvement in football started when he was just four years old. Despite becoming a prominent figure in Manchester United, he grew up as a boyhood fan of Newcastle United. Every Saturday night, he played five-a-side football at Wallsend Boys Club, a renowned local institution, thanks to his father's volunteer work there.

By the age of nine, Carrick had already attracted significant attention from several prominent clubs, undergoing trials with Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and Chelsea. At 12, football became a more serious pursuit when he was selected to play for Burnside High School and subsequently for North Tyneside Schools. His dedication and talent were evident early on; while playing for Wallsend Boys' Club's under-16s, he was capped for the England Boys' club side and even captained the team. At 13, his burgeoning talent was featured on the BBC children's program Live & Kicking in episode 49, which aired on February 4, 1995. Carrick attended Wallsend's Western Middle School and Burnside Community High School, completing his GCSE exams in 1997.

2.2. Early Football Involvement

Prior to joining West Ham United, and throughout his school years, Carrick primarily played as a centre-forward. It was only upon his arrival at West Ham that he began to transition and play more frequently as a midfielder. This positional change at West Ham proved to be a pivotal moment in his development, allowing him to harness his exceptional passing and tactical skills that would define his professional career. Michael also has a younger brother, Graeme Carrick, who is four years his junior. Graeme also played for West Ham United's academy but his career was curtailed by multiple injuries. He has since earned an MSc in Sport Coaching and now serves as an FA Regional Coach Mentor for the North East & Yorkshire region, following seven years as an FA Skills Coach and coaching spells at Team Northumbria and the Newcastle United Academy (coaching the under-10s and under-16s).

3.1. Club Career

Carrick's club career began at West Ham United, progressing through their youth system before making a significant impact at Tottenham Hotspur and ultimately achieving legendary status at Manchester United.

3.2. International Career

Michael Carrick represented England at various youth levels, including the under-18 and under-21 teams, before receiving his first call-up to the senior team in February 2001, for Sven-Göran Eriksson's first game in charge. Although named in the 31-man squad to face Spain, he was an unused substitute in England's 3-0 victory on February 28. Three months later, he made his England debut, replacing David Beckham as a second-half substitute in a 4-0 friendly win over Mexico on May 25, 2001. His full debut came during England's 2-1 victory over the United States on May 28, 2005. Three days later, Carrick started again in a 3-2 victory over Colombia in the final game of their US tour.

On May 8, 2006, Eriksson included Carrick in England's 23-man provisional squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and he was eventually named in the final squad for the tournament in Germany. He remained an unused substitute for all three of England's Group B games as they advanced to the knockout stage. Carrick played just one game in the tournament, a 1-0 victory in the second round match against Ecuador on June 25. For the next game, the quarter-final tie against Portugal, he was dropped to the bench, with Owen Hargreaves replacing him. The match ended goalless after extra time, and Portugal won 3-1 in the subsequent penalty shootout, knocking England out of the World Cup.

Carrick was often overlooked by various England managers for central midfield roles, with players like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard generally preferred. He started nine games under Sven-Göran Eriksson and his successor Steve McClaren. His last appearance under McClaren was in a 2-1 home defeat to Germany in August 2007. Newly appointed manager Fabio Capello initially left Carrick out of his first England squad in February 2008 and largely overlooked him during his first year in charge. However, Carrick was named in Capello's squad for the game against the Czech Republic in August 2008 but was forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained while playing for Manchester United. In November 2008, he returned to the squad for a friendly against Germany in Berlin. Starting alongside Gareth Barry in central midfield in England's 2-1 victory, he was named Man of the Match by the BBC.

Despite playing only one game during England's 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, Carrick was named in Capello's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on May 11, 2010. He played 61 minutes of their 3-1 warm-up friendly win over Mexico before being replaced by Tom Huddlestone. On June 2, Carrick was named in the final 23-man squad to travel to South Africa, being given the squad number 22. However, he failed to make an appearance during the World Cup, remaining an unused member of the squad as England were eventually knocked out by Germany in a 4-1 second round defeat on June 27. On August 6, Alex Ferguson stated that Carrick would be out for two weeks with an ankle injury and would miss England's friendly against Hungary the following Wednesday. Capello notably left Carrick out of the subsequent England squad, only to see him play 79 minutes in the Community Shield match two days later, famously making a 'call me' gesture as Carrick walked past him to collect his winner's medal.

In May 2012, England manager Roy Hodgson explained that he left Carrick out of the 23-man squad and standby list for UEFA Euro 2012 because Carrick had previously informed The Football Association that he did not wish to be a "bit-part player," although he would help the team "in extremis." On August 10, Carrick was recalled to the England squad by Hodgson for a friendly match against Italy on August 15. He played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 victory over the Azzurri in Switzerland and took over the captain's armband from Frank Lampard for the final 20 minutes. On September 7, 2012, Carrick came on as a half-time substitute in England's 5-0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Moldova. He then started against San Marino in another 5-0 win the following month. On October 17, 2012, Carrick partnered Steven Gerrard in central midfield in the away qualifier against Poland. On March 26, 2013, their partnership was renewed in England's qualifier against Montenegro in Podgorica. On October 15, 2013, Carrick started in England's final qualifier, a 2-0 home win against Poland, as the team qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In May 2014, Carrick was named on England's standby list for the 2014 FIFA World Cup after being omitted from the main 23-man squad traveling to Brazil.

Having not appeared since 2013, Carrick was named in the squad for the November 2014 matches against Slovenia and Scotland. However, on November 12, he withdrew from the squad after sustaining a groin injury. On March 27, 2015, Carrick made his first appearance for England in 17 months, starting in the 4-0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying victory over Lithuania at Wembley Stadium. On March 31, 2015, Carrick made his 33rd appearance for the national team as a substitute for Manchester United teammate Chris Smalling, performing impressively to help England earn a draw against Italy in an international friendly match. On November 14, 2015, Carrick suffered an ankle injury during a match against Spain and left the pitch on a stretcher, with England eventually losing the game 2-0. It was later revealed in October 2018 that Carrick had suffered from depression for two years following the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final defeat, which had contributed to his extended absence from the England squad.

3.3. Style of Play

Michael Carrick's playing style was characterized by intelligence, composure, and a remarkable ability to control the midfield, earning him widespread admiration from fellow professionals and managers. Despite playing as a deep-lying midfielder, Carrick did not primarily rely on pace, stamina, physical attributes, box-to-box play, or aggressive tackling like a typical ball-winning midfielder. Instead, his tactical intelligence and calmness in reading the game allowed him to anticipate and neutralize attacking threats from the opposition, primarily by covering space and making crucial interceptions.

His distribution of the ball, exceptional vision, creativity, and wide range of passing were considered among the best compared to other midfielders in Europe. These attributes, combined with his playmaking skills and ability to deliver accurate crosses, allowed him to dictate the tempo of the game and initiate team attacks with precision.

Upon his arrival at Manchester United in 2006, Carrick formed a highly effective partnership with Paul Scholes. Carrick typically played in a holding role, shielding the defense, while Scholes operated alongside him as a deep-seated playmaker. This midfield dynamic contributed significantly to a shift towards a more continental playing style embraced by manager Sir Alex Ferguson and assistant Carlos Queiroz, which emphasized passing and retaining possession, a departure from the more traditional direct and all-action style of English football.

Carrick's unassuming style, however, often led to him being overlooked by successive England national team managers in favor of more visibly dynamic midfielders such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. This fact was notably highlighted by his former club and national team captain, Wayne Rooney, who stated that England managers consistently made "the wrong choice" by not utilizing Carrick more often.

His intelligence and awareness on the pitch were profoundly recognized by former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who famously labeled him his "trainer coach during the game," indicating Carrick's ability to understand and execute tactical instructions in real-time. Furthermore, his importance to team performance was consistently praised by former teammates Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, as well as European peers like Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Xavi once stated, "Carrick gives United balance and can play defensively too. He passes well, has a good shot and is a complete player." Pep Guardiola, a manager known for his appreciation of technical midfielders, called Carrick "one of the best holding midfielders I've ever seen in my life." In 2015, The Telegraph included him at number one in their list of "The top 20 most under-rated footballers of all time," describing him as an "unassuming but highly intelligent and technically gifted deep-lying midfielder" who "has consistently performed well."

4.1. Manchester United (Caretaker Manager)

Following his retirement as a player in 2018, Michael Carrick remained at Manchester United, joining José Mourinho's coaching staff alongside fellow new appointee Kieran McKenna. They filled the void left by former assistant manager Rui Faria, who departed to pursue his own managerial career. Mourinho was sacked by United on December 18, 2018, after a challenging first half of the season. Carrick briefly served as the acting caretaker manager before another former United player, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, was appointed to that position for the remainder of the season. Solskjær retained Carrick as a part of his coaching staff, and this coaching team was appointed on a permanent basis in March 2019.

On November 21, 2021, after Ole Gunnar Solskjær departed his role as manager, Carrick was named caretaker manager. Carrick's first match in charge was a UEFA Champions League tie away at Villarreal, which United won 2-0, thanks to late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and a first United goal for Jadon Sancho, sealing United's place in the last-16 of the competition. He then oversaw a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in his first Premier League game. Following a 3-2 victory against Arsenal on December 2, Carrick stepped down as first-team coach and left Manchester United with immediate effect, shortly after the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager for the rest of the season. During his brief three-match tenure as caretaker manager, he achieved an unbeaten record of two wins and one draw.

4.2. Middlesbrough

On October 24, 2022, nearly a year after leaving Manchester United, Michael Carrick was appointed head coach of Championship club Middlesbrough. At the time of his appointment, Middlesbrough were struggling, sitting 21st in the Championship with 17 points from 16 games, just one point above the relegation zone. Carrick's first game in charge resulted in a 2-1 away loss to Preston North End on October 29, despite Middlesbrough taking an early lead.

Under Carrick's leadership, Middlesbrough's performance significantly improved. He led the club to 16 wins in his first 23 games, orchestrating a remarkable climb up the league table. On December 7, 2022, Carrick was nominated for the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for November, his first full calendar month in charge. His exceptional performance continued, earning him the award for March 2023, after guiding his side to 10 points from four matches, scoring 13 goals in the process. Middlesbrough finished the 2022-23 season in 4th place, securing a spot in the play-offs. However, they were ultimately defeated by Coventry City in the semi-finals.

In his second season, Carrick guided Middlesbrough to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2004. Middlesbrough won the first leg 1-0 at home against Chelsea, but they ultimately lost the second leg 6-1, resulting in a 6-2 aggregate defeat. Middlesbrough concluded their 2023-24 campaign in 8th position in the Championship. On June 3, 2024, Carrick signed a new three-year contract, committing his future to Middlesbrough.

5.1. Family and Relationships

Michael Carrick married Lisa Roughead, a Pilates instructor with a business degree, on June 16, 2007, in Wymondham, Leicestershire. Notably, this date was also the wedding day for his England national team teammates Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville. The couple's relationship began during their school years. They have two children: a daughter named Louise and a son named Jacey. Michael Carrick's younger brother, Graeme, also pursued a football career, playing at West Ham United, but his path was affected by several injuries. Graeme has since earned an MSc in Sport Coaching and now works as an FA Regional Coach Mentor, having previously coached at the Newcastle United Academy and Team Northumbria. Despite his long and successful career at Manchester United, Carrick is a boyhood fan of Newcastle United.

5.2. Health and Mental Well-being

In November 2017, Michael Carrick publicly disclosed that he had undergone a medical procedure for an irregular heart rhythm. He had experienced dizziness during a match and in training, prompting the treatment. The procedure was successful, allowing him to return to United's first-team squad as club captain.

In October 2018, Carrick bravely announced that he had suffered from depression for two years following the defeat in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. This period of mental health struggle had contributed to his earlier extended absence from the England national team. His openness about these challenges provided an important perspective on the pressures faced by professional athletes.

6.1. Club Statistics

6.2. International Statistics

6.3. Managerial Statistics

7.1. As a Player

7.2. As a Manager