Scott Carson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Scott Carson

Carson in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Scott Paul Carson
Date of birth	(1985-09-03) 3 September 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Whitehaven, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Manchester City
Number	33
Youth career
2000–2001	Cleator Moor Celtic
2001–2002	Workington
2002–2003	Leeds United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2005	Leeds United	3	(0)
2005–2008	Liverpool	4	(0)
2006	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	9	(0)
2006–2007	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	36	(0)
2007–2008	→ Aston Villa (loan)	35	(0)
2008–2011	West Bromwich Albion	110	(0)
2011–2013	Bursaspor	63	(0)
2013–2015	Wigan Athletic	50	(0)
2015–2021	Derby County	158	(0)
2019–2021	→ Manchester City (loan)	1	(0)
2021–	Manchester City	0	(0)
International career
2003	England U18	2	(0)
2004–2007	England U21	29	(0)
2006–2007	England B	2	(0)
2007–2011	England	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 March 2023 (UTC)

Scott Paul Carson (born 3 September 1985) is an English professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester City.

Scott Carson started his football journey at the Leeds United academy in 2002. He made his first team debut for Leeds in February 2004. In January 2005, he moved to Liverpool. He was even called up for the England senior team later that year.

He played nine games for Liverpool. This included a big UEFA Champions League quarter-final win against Juventus in April 2005. To get more experience, he went on loan to several clubs. These included Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, and Aston Villa.

After his loan spells, he joined West Bromwich Albion in July 2008. In 2011, he moved to Bursaspor in Turkey. After two years, he returned to England with Wigan Athletic. In 2015, he signed for Derby County.

In August 2019, Carson joined Manchester City on loan. He was a backup goalkeeper for Ederson and Claudio Bravo. He signed permanently with Manchester City in 2021.

Carson also played for the England under-21 team. He made his first appearance in February 2004. He set a record with 29 games for the under-21 team. He then made his full debut for the England senior team in November 2007.

Scott Carson's Football Journey

Starting at Leeds United

Scott Carson was born in Whitehaven, England. He grew up in Cleator Moor. As a child, he was a good rugby league player. But he chose to focus on football. He played as a goalkeeper for his school team from age 11 or 12.

He quickly moved up through the youth teams at his local club, Cleator Moor Celtic. He even played for their men's team when he was just 15. In July 2002, he joined the Leeds United football academy. He had impressed a former Leeds player while playing for Workington.

Scott spent less than a year in the academy. Then, in January 2004, he made his first team debut. He came on as a substitute after another player was sent off. Two weeks later, he started his first full game against Manchester United. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Time at Liverpool

In January 2005, Carson joined Liverpool. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. His job was to compete for a spot with the main goalkeeper, Jerzy Dudek. He made his first game for Liverpool in March 2005.

In April, he played three games in a row. One of these was a big UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Juventus. Liverpool won that game. Scott was also a substitute when Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final and the 2005 UEFA Super Cup.

Gaining Experience on Loan

Scott only played four games for Liverpool in the 2005–06 season. So, in March 2006, he went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday. They needed a goalkeeper, and Scott wanted more playing time. He helped Wednesday avoid being relegated. He kept five clean sheets in nine games.

In August 2006, Carson joined Charlton Athletic on loan for a season. He wanted to play in the Premier League. He played in 36 of 38 league games for Charlton. Even though Charlton was relegated, Scott played so well that he was named their Player of the Year. He was the first loan player to win this award.

Carson training with Aston Villa in 2007

In June 2007, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez said Scott would be part of the first team. But Scott was still a backup to Pepe Reina. So, he went on loan again, this time to Aston Villa. The manager there, Martin O'Neill, chose Scott to play. Scott played in almost all of Villa's 38 league games. He kept 11 clean sheets that season.

Moving to West Bromwich Albion

After his loan at Aston Villa, Carson returned to Liverpool. But in July 2008, he joined West Bromwich Albion. He signed a four-year contract. Scott said he wanted to settle down at one club. He had played for five different clubs since 2004.

He made his debut for West Brom in a game against Arsenal. Even though West Brom was relegated to the Championship, Scott kept his starting spot. He was even made captain after the previous captain left. West Bromwich Albion then won promotion back to the Premier League. Scott kept 15 clean sheets in 43 games.

Playing in Turkey

On 1 July 2011, Carson moved to Turkey. He joined Süper Lig club Bursaspor. Scott had a great first season there. He played every game and his team finished eighth. They had one of the best defenses in the league. He also helped Bursaspor reach the final of the 2011–12 Turkish Cup.

In his second season, he played 29 league games. Bursaspor finished fourth and qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

Return to England

After two years in Turkey, Carson came back to England. He joined Wigan Athletic in July 2013. He stayed there for two years.

After Wigan was relegated, Carson signed with Derby County. This was a Championship club. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Scott was named Derby's Player of the Year.

Joining Manchester City

On 8 August 2019, Carson joined Manchester City on loan. He was the third-choice goalkeeper. He extended his loan for another season. On 14 May 2021, he played his first Premier League game in almost ten years. This was in a 4–3 win against Newcastle United.

On 14 June 2021, he left Derby County. He then joined Manchester City permanently. On 9 March 2022, he played his first European game in 17 years. This was in the UEFA Champions League against Sporting CP. He came on as a substitute and helped keep a clean sheet.

Carson signed new one-year contracts with City in June 2022, June 2023, and May 2024. He was a substitute when City won the 2023 UEFA Champions League final. This was at the same stadium where he won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005. This meant he set a record for the longest time between winning his first and last European Cup title (18 years).

Playing for England

Carson was first called up to the England under-21 squad in October 2003. He was only 18 years old. He made his under-21 debut in February 2004 against the Netherlands.

He played in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. In one game, he earned his 28th under-21 cap. This broke the record held by Gareth Barry and Jamie Carragher. His 29th and final under-21 game was in the semi-final against the Netherlands. England lost after a long penalty shoot-out.

In May 2005, Carson was called up to the England senior team squad. A year later, he played for the England B team. He was then added to the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

He made his full England debut in November 2007 against Austria. He kept a clean sheet in that game. A week later, he played in a very important game against Croatia. England lost that game, which meant they did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.

New England manager Fabio Capello called Carson into his first squad in February 2008. Carson won his third England cap in November 2008 against Germany. He became the first West Bromwich Albion player to play for England in 24 years. He won his fourth cap in November 2011 against Sweden.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours and Awards

Liverpool

• UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
• UEFA Super Cup: 2005
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2004–05

Bursaspor

• Turkish Cup runner-up: 2011–12

Manchester City

• FA Community Shield: 2024
• UEFA Champions League: 2022–23; runner-up: 2020–21
• UEFA Super Cup: 2023
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2023
• FA Cup runner-up: 2023–24

Individual

• Charlton Athletic Player of the Year: 2006–07
• Derby County Player of the Year: 2016–17
• EFL Championship Player of the Month: December 2017

Images for kids

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  Scott Carson in 2007

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  Carson training with Aston Villa in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Scott Carson para niños