Carl Magnay

Chelsea

Born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, Magnay was the winner of the second series of the Sky One talent search Football Icon. Prior to this Magnay was part of Leeds United's academy and also played part-time for Birtley Town and Esh Winning. Magnay's father was the secretary at Birtley Town and he received a phone call from Sky explaining that they were looking for players to take part. Magnay attended alongside his friend Mark Anderson. Before appearing on Football Icon, Magnay had been on trial with Middlesbrough. On 30 July 2007, ChelseaTV Online conducted an interview with Magnay, where it was revealed he had signed professional forms with the club. In January 2009 he was loaned to League One team Milton Keynes Dons. He made his debut for the Dons on 31 January against Cheltenham Town. He made only one other appearance and in total played 7 minutes for MK. On 9 March 2009 Magnay was signed by Northampton Town on a one-month loan deal. He made his debut in the 1–0 defeat at Millwall. In pre-season ahead of the 2009–10 Premier League campaign, Magnay was a part of the Chelsea Reserves team that took part in a training ground brawl with United Arab Emirates side Al-Ahli. In March 2010 Magnay suffered a serious injury in a reserve team game against Charlton Athletic, damaging his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and cracking his kneecap. On 16 June 2011, it was announced that Magnay had been released by Chelsea having made no senior…

Due to having Northern Irish grandparents, English-born Magnay was eligible to represent Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. He made his international debut for the Northern Ireland U21 team on 11 August 2009, in an away friendly against Portugal's U-21 team.

In January 2015, while earning his coaching badges, Magnay started coaching at Pro Player Football Academy. In September 2019, Magnay began working for his former club Chelsea as a youth talent scout in the north of England. Following his retirement from football on 28 November 2023, he remained at Gateshead as a part of the coaching staff. On 14 June 2024, Magnay joined his former manager Mike Williamson as a first-team coach at League Two club Milton Keynes Dons. On 19 September 2024, Magnay once again followed Williamson, joining the coaching staff of Carlisle United. In October 2024, Magnay took up his first managerial role when he was appointed manager at National League side Gateshead. After winning every league game in December 2024, Magnay won the league's Manager of the Month award. On 2 June 2025, Magnay resigned, after a disappointing end to the season; missing out on the play-offs by one point. Magnay was defended in the press by club captain Greg Olley with Olley criticising the club's ownership and stating that Magnay had not received enough support from the board. The following day after leaving Gateshead, he was appointed assistant manager of South Shields. On 10 June 2026, Magnay left South Shields alongside manager Ian Watson to take up the role of assistant manager at newly promoted EFL League Two side Rochdale.

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