 Carson in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Scott Paul Carson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-09-03)3 September 1985 (age 40)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Whitehaven, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| 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) |
| 2021–2025 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 469 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | England U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | England U21 | 29 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | England B | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2011 | England | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Scott Paul Carson (born 3 September 1985) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper.
Carson joined theLeeds United academy in 2002, making his full first-team debut for Leeds againstManchester United in February 2004. In January 2005, he moved toLiverpool for a £750,000 fee and was called up for theEngland senior team later that year. He made nine appearances for Liverpool, including theUEFA Champions League quarter-final victory overJuventus in April 2005, before going on loan toSheffield Wednesday,Charlton Athletic andAston Villa in successive seasons to gain experience. After his return to Liverpool from his loan spell at Aston Villa at the end of the 2007–08 season, he joined West Bromwich Albion for a £3.25 million fee in July 2008. In 2011, he moved toBursaspor of Turkey. After two years in Turkey, he moved back to England withWigan Athletic, where he remained until 2015 when he signed for Derby County. Carson joined reigning Premier League championsManchester City on loan in August 2019 to provide cover forEderson andClaudio Bravo. He signed permanently for Manchester City in 2021. After 6 years at City, Carson left the club at the expiration of his contract in June 2025 and announced his retirement from professional football 4 months later in October after playing just 107 minutes with the club.
Carson made his first appearance for theEngland under-21 team in February 2004 and later set a record of 29caps for the under-21 team. Following the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Carson made his full debut for the England senior team againstAustria in November 2007.
Carson was born inWhitehaven, Cumbria,[4] and grew up inCleator Moor, where he attended Ehenside School.[5] Although a promisingrugby league player as a youth,[6] he instead chose to concentrate on football, playing in goal for his school team from the age of "about 11 or 12".[7] He quickly rose through the youth teams at local teamCleator Moor Celtic to play for the men's team when he was 15.[6] He joined theLeeds United football academy in July 2002 after impressing former Leeds defenderPeter Hampton while playing for non-leagueWorkington in theFA Youth Cup.[8] He spent less than a year in the academy and half a season with the reserves before making his first-team debut in January 2004, coming on as a late substitute afterPaul Robinson was sent off againstMiddlesbrough.[9][10] Two weeks later, he made his full debut, starting againstManchester United in a 1–1 draw atOld Trafford,[11] and made one further appearance in the2003–04 season againstChelsea in May 2004.[9] Robinson left Leeds in May 2004 and Leeds signed Scottish international goalkeeperNeil Sullivan two months later to compete with Carson for a first-team place,[12][13] and to help Carson develop and improve.[14] Carson's contract was due to expire at the end of the2004–05 season but Leeds were keen to retain him and in December 2004 offered him a new long-term contract.[15] However, he chose to join Liverpool, who paid Leeds a £750,000 fee for him, in January 2005.[16][17]
Carson joinedLiverpool on a four-and-a-half-year contract and was to provide competition forJerzy Dudek for a first-team place.[16] He made his first team debut for Liverpool in March 2005 in a defeat toNewcastle United,[18] and made three consecutive appearances in April, including the home leg of theUEFA Champions League quarter-final victory overJuventus.[19][20] He was an unused substitute when Liverpool were victorious in the2005 UEFA Champions League final and2005 UEFA Super Cup.[21][22]
Carson made only four appearances for Liverpool in the 2005–06 season, all in cup competitions,[23] and in March 2006 moved toSheffield Wednesday onloan.[23] Wednesday sought his services to help solve their goalkeeping crisis, while Carson was looking to gain more first team experience and to challenge for a place in the England2006 FIFA World Cup squad.[20][24][25] He kept fiveclean sheets in nine appearances for Wednesday, whose assistant managerKevin Summerfield hailed his contribution as a key factor in helping the club escape relegation.[26] He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in July 2006, extended his contract with Liverpool until 2011.[27]
In August 2006, Carson joinedCharlton Athletic on loan for the2006–07 season,[28] after Charlton failed in a bid forNorwich City goalkeeperRobert Green.[29] Carson explained that "Liverpool want me to get some experience and then hopefully I can go back next season and be challenging Pepe [Reina] for the number one spot.[citation needed] There were a couple of Championship clubs interested but I need to be playing Premiership football because Robert Green,Ben Foster andChris Kirkland are going to be playing week in, week out so I need to be performing."[30] He played in 36 of 38 Premier League matches, missing only the two matches against Liverpool due to the terms of his loan deal.[31][32] Although he was unable to prevent Charlton from being relegated at the end of 2006–07,[33] his outstanding form led him to be named as theCharlton Athletic Player of the Year, the first loan player ever to receive the award.[34][35]
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the season and in June 2007, Liverpool managerRafael Benítez confirmed that he would be part of the first-team squad for the2007–08 season, saying "He must fight withPepe Reina now for a starting place."[33] Carson remained second choice to Reina, however, and faced further competition following the signing ofCharles Itandje in August 2007; as a result, Carson was loaned out again, this time toAston Villa at a cost to Villa of £2 million.[citation needed] Benitez said of the deal, "We do not want to sell him, we are very happy with Scott. But he needs to play to keep up his England place."[36][37] Aston Villa managerMartin O'Neill preferred Carson toThomas Sørensen andStuart Taylor, and Carson played in all but three of Villa's 38 league matches, missing the two matches against Liverpool as he was ineligible to play,[37][38] and kept 11 clean sheets during the 2007–08 season.[39][40] He received the first red card of his career when he fouledCarlos Tevez in Villa's 4–1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United.[41]
Carson returned to Liverpool at the end of the 2007–08 season but in July 2008 joinedWest Bromwich Albion on a four-year contract for a £3.25 million fee, possibly rising to £3.75 million, with an option for the club to extend the contract by another year.[17] Carson, who had played for five different clubs since making his debut for Leeds in 2004, explained that he wanted to get settled at one club, saying "I've been like a nomad for three or four years. It'll be good to get some roots and hopefully settle. I can see myself here for four or five years, even longer."[42] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat toArsenal in the opening match of the2008–09 Premier League season.[43] Despite relegation to theChampionship, Carson kept his first team place and after the departure of captainJonathan Greening he was given thecaptaincy.[44] West Bromwich Albion won promotion back to the Premier League, finishing second, 12 points clear of third placeNottingham Forest with Carson keeping 15 clean sheets out of 43 matches.[citation needed] He had been playing regular football for the Midlands club, but in the2010–11 season, his form seemed to dip and in January 2011, Carson was briefly dropped to the bench for Welsh goalkeeperBoaz Myhill.[45] After the appointment ofRoy Hodgson as West Bromwich Albion head coach, he swiftly found himself back in favour atThe Hawthorns.[46]
On 1 July 2011, Carson completed a move to TurkishSüper Lig clubBursaspor[47] for a £2 million fee.[48] In his first season with Bursaspor he was an ever-present, conceding 35 goals in 34 matches, the fifth-lowest in the2011–12 Süper Lig season,[citation needed] while the club finished eighth. He also received a runner-up medal for the2011–12 Turkish Cup.[citation needed]
In his second season in Turkey, he played twenty-nine league matches and conceded thirty-three goals, helping his team concede the sixth-fewest goals in the2012–13 Süper Lig season.[citation needed] Bursaspor finished fourth andqualified for the2013–14 UEFA Europa League.[citation needed]
Carson joinedWigan Athletic for £700,000 on a three-year deal on 4 July 2013.[49]
After Wigan's relegation to League One, Carson signed a two-year deal with Championship clubDerby County with an option for a third year. The fee was undisclosed.[50] At the end of the2016–17 season, Carson was announced as Derby's Player of the Year.[51]
Carson signed for reigning Premier League championsManchester City on 8 August 2019 on loan for the2019–20 season, as the third-choice goalkeeper behindEderson andClaudio Bravo.[52] He extended his loan for the2020–21 season.[53] On 14 May 2021, he made his first Premier League appearance in almost a decade in a 4–3 away win overNewcastle United. During the match, Carson saved aJoe Willock penalty but let in the rebound after the ball fell kindly back to Willock.[54]
On 14 June 2021, it was announced that he would leave Derby at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.[55] He joined Manchester City permanently.[56] On 9 March 2022, in the second leg of the round of 16 of theUEFA Champions League, against Portuguese sideSporting CP, Carson came off the bench with twenty minutes to go to play his first Champions League match in seventeen years. Carson went on to preserve a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw, since City had beat Sporting 5–0 in the first leg; the English side moved on to the next stage.[57]
Carson would extend his stay with City for a fourth season on 14 June 2022, by signing a new one-year contract.[58] He was an unused substitute when City were victorious in the2023 UEFA Champions League final overInter Milan,[59] which was contested at thesame stadium he had won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final for Liverpool against Inter's local rivalsAC Milan.[60] He thus equalled the record for the longest gap between a first and last European Cup title (18 years), shared with Milan'sPaolo Maldini andAlessandro Costacurta.[61]
On 16 June 2023, it was announced that Carson had signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2023–24 season.[62] On 23 May 2024, Carson signed a further one-year contract extension keeping him at the club until the end of the 2024–25 season.[63]
On 9 June 2025, Manchester City announced that Carson would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the month.[64]
Later that year, on 23 October 2025, Carson announced his retirement from professional football, four months after departing from Manchester City.[65]
Carson was first called up to theEngland under-21 squad in October 2003, a month after his 18th birthday, for the2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier againstTurkey.[8] At the time he was yet to make his competitive debut for Leeds United's first team,[8] and had previously played only four matches for England at other levels.[8] He made his under-21 debut in a 3–2 win for England against theNetherlands in February 2004.[66] He was selected in the squad for the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and in the third match againstSerbia, he earned his 28th under-21 cap,[67][68] eclipsing the record held byGareth Barry andJamie Carragher.[69] His 29th and final cap came against the hosts, the Netherlands, in the semi-final, which finished level at 1–1 after extra-time.[citation needed] In the resultantpenalty shoot-out, he saved one of the 16penalties he faced and also scored one himself, but England lost 13–12.[70] Carson has since been overtaken byJames Milner as the England Under-21 team's most-capped player.[71]
In May 2005, while still a member of the under-21 team, Carson was called up to theEngland senior team squad for the team's tour of the United States later that month.[72] A year later, he came on as substitute forRobert Green, who had suffered a serious injury, in theEngland B international friendly againstBelarus in May 2006.[73] The injury to Green, who had been named in the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, led to Carson, who was on standby, being promoted to the England squad for the tournament,[74] although he did not make any appearances.[citation needed] Carson continued to be selected for the England senior team squad,[75][76] and in May 2007, made his second appearance for the England B team in a 3–1 win over Albania.[77] Following the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships, he made his full England debut in a friendly againstAustria in November 2007 when he kept a clean sheet.[78] A week later, he made his competitive debut replacing Paul Robinson in a crucial match againstCroatia, which England lost 3–2, resulting in their failure to qualify forUEFA Euro 2008.[79] Carson was held particularly culpable for the first goal, whenNiko Kranjčar cut inside and his dipping speculative shot from 30 yards dipped and bounced in front of him, with Carson only succeeding in parrying the ball into the net as it squirmed through him.[80][81][79] England coachSteve McClaren was dismissed the next day,[82] as commentators criticised McClaren for selecting an inexperienced goalkeeper for the match.[83]
New managerFabio Capello named Carson in his first England squad for the friendly match againstSwitzerland in February 2008,[84] but the goalkeeper did not make the final squad for the match againstFrance the following month due to injury.[85] After failing to make Capello's squads for the next five internationals, Carson was recalled to the England squad in October 2008 for the2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers againstKazakhstan andBelarus.[86][87] He won his third England cap in November 2008, in a friendly againstGermany in Berlin when he came on for the second half.[88] In doing so he became the first West Bromwich Albion player to play for England for 24 years.[89] He won his fourth cap as a second-half substitute against Sweden on 15 November 2011, becoming the first-ever Bursaspor player to play for England in the club's history.[90]
Carson's son, Hayden, currently plays forWolverhampton Wanderers.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 2003–04[9] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05[91] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Liverpool | 2004–05[91] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06[23] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[92] | Premier League | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2007–08[40] | Premier League | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2005–06[23] | Championship | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2006–07[92] | Premier League | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2007–08[40] | Premier League | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2008–09[93] | Premier League | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10[94] | Championship | 43 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11[95] | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| Total | 110 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 118 | 0 | ||||
| Bursaspor | 2011–12[96] | Süper Lig | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13[96] | Süper Lig | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| Total | 63 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 77 | 0 | ||||
| Wigan Athletic | 2013–14[97] | Championship | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 2014–15[98] | Championship | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| Total | 50 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 0 | ||
| Derby County | 2015–16[99] | Championship | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[100] | Championship | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18[101] | Championship | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19[102] | Championship | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[103] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 158 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 171 | 0 | |||
| Manchester City (loan) | 2019–20[103] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21[104] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Manchester City | 2021–22[105] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022–23[106] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[107] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[108] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 469 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 522 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Liverpool
Bursaspor
Manchester City
Individual
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