The Life and Career of Michael Carrick and Why He Was Always Underrated
"I'm definitely not Spanish or Italian, so can't you just appreciate me anyway?"
Michael Carrick is a very interesting case when analyzing 21st century English players. While their league has been at an all-time high in terms of worldwide reach and accomplishments, with Carrick winning every trophy at club level with Manchester United while being a regular starter, he never got the credit he deserved. Despite being a stalwart member of Sir Alex Ferguson's side for more than a decade he never received much recognition or appreciation.
This is the career of Michael Carrick.
Playing Days
Michael Carrick made his professional debut with West Ham United in 1999 and later had two short loan spells in the 1999/2000 season with the likes of Swindon Town and Birmingham City, although he didn't play much. However, he would become a regular with the Hammers the following season, playing with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, and Joe Cole."It probably wasn't realistic for all of us to stay at the club," he said to FourFourTwo in 2019. "When Rio left West Ham for Leeds he was potentially the best defender in the country, so he was always going to move. West Ham were offered a lot of money by Leeds at the time (£18 million, a world record fee for a defender). I think it would have been a fairy tale for West Ham to keep hold of everyone, and something that happens in a perfect world. Sadly the real world doesn't work like that - players want to play at as high a level as they can, and it made business sense for West Ham as they got a good deal.
After four solid seasons, he joined Tottenham Hotspurs in 2004, and while he stayed there only two seasons, it was enough to become a lot more notorious in the game. A solid passer, a calm presence in midfield, and solid defensively, this would be enough for Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him for Manchester United in the summer of 2006, turning into the replacement of club legend Roy Keane.
"He taught me how to be mentally strong, never to settle for anything less than you think you can achieve, and to always strive to be the very best," he said about Ferguson many years later. "Since becoming a coach at United I've tried to take inspiration from him, so hopefully he has rubbed off on me. I probably do a few things in training that I picked up from him but don't realise."
Carrick's time at United was very consistent. He was one of those players who didn't get a lot of notoriety, but he was good enough to give balance to the midfield and becoming a key member of the team's rise to the top, winning multiple Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League.
However, after the loss against Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final and a following season where there were some bad moments for him, Carrick had to deal with an episode of depression. This was further deepened by a call-up to the 2010 World Cup, much to his frustration.
"I'll be completely honest, I didn't want to be at that World Cup. It wasn't for football reasons, it was just how I felt in myself. Odd, but there you go. I wouldn't have put myself in that squad, as I was playing awfully. When I got the call from Fabio Capello's assistant, Franco Baldini, to tell me I was off to South Africa, my heart sank. I should have been so happy about it, but I wasn't."
"It was just what I expected out there, too. I didn't enjoy it, and it actually got worse. I'd talk to my wife on the phone and say, 'I want to go home.' It wasn't about the football. I wasn't in the right place to enjoy my football at that time."
The post-Sir Alex Ferguson years were tough on United, but Carrick still managed to make his presence known with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho. Despite being older and dealing with injuries, he still managed to always provide quality and leadership when available, perhaps becoming more appreciated during this turbulent era.
Michael Carrick while managing Middlesbrough
Managerial Career
Carrick retired in 2018 and went on to become a part of then-United manager Jose Mourinho's coaching staff, although the latter would be sacked later that year and the former midfielder remained as part of new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The United legend kept Carrick as a key part of the dressing room and helped greatly with the coaching, which is something that he appreciated."You look at the lads now, with the lifestyles they have, the cars they drive and all the rest of it, and they're going to make a few mistakes," Carrick said to The Guardian in 2018. "Just because they are put on a pedestal from the age of 19 and 20 that doesn't make them any more grown up or wiser. They're still kids. For someone like me, with that Viper, to be too hard on these kids - nah, hang on a minute ..."
He would later become a Middlesbrough manager in 2022, where he would remain until 2025. On January 13, 2026, Carrick was given the job as Manchester United's coach for the rest of the season (at least initially) as a replacement for Ruben Amorim, who had been fired a few days earlier.
Carrick has been an underrated figure in English football and definitely deserves a lot more recognition.