Scott Carson

Leeds United

Carson was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria, and grew up in Cleator Moor, where he attended Ehenside School. Although a promising rugby league player as a youth, he instead chose to concentrate on football, playing in goal for his school team from the age of "about 11 or 12". He quickly rose through the youth teams at local team Cleator Moor Celtic to play for the men's team when he was 15. He joined the Leeds United football academy in July 2002 after impressing former Leeds defender Peter Hampton while playing for non-league Workington in the FA Youth Cup. 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 after Paul Robinson was sent off against Middlesbrough. Two weeks later, he made his full debut, starting against Manchester United in a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford, and made one further appearance in the 2003–04 season against Chelsea in May 2004. Robinson left Leeds in May 2004 and Leeds signed Scottish international goalkeeper Neil Sullivan two months later to compete with Carson for a first-team place, and to help Carson develop and improve. Carson's contract was due to expire at the end of the 2004–05 season but Leeds were keen to retain him and in December 2004 offered him a new long-term contract. However, he chose to join Liverpool, who paid Leeds a £750,000 fee for him, in January 2005.

Liverpool

Carson joined Liverpool on a…

Carson was first called up to the England under-21 squad in October 2003, a month after his 18th birthday, for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Turkey. At the time he was yet to make his competitive debut for Leeds United's first team, and had previously played only four matches for England at other levels. He made his under-21 debut in a 3–2 win for England against the Netherlands in February 2004. He was selected in the squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and in the third match against Serbia, he earned his 28th under-21 cap, eclipsing the record held by Gareth Barry and Jamie Carragher. His 29th and final cap came against the hosts, the Netherlands, in the semi-final, which finished level at 1–1 after extra-time. In the resultant penalty shoot-out, he saved one of the 16 penalties he faced and also scored one himself, but England lost 13–12. Carson has since been overtaken by James Milner as the England Under-21 team's most-capped player. In May 2005, while still a member of the under-21 team, Carson was called up to the England senior team squad for the team's tour of the United States later that month. A year later, he came on as substitute for Robert Green, who had suffered a serious injury, in the England B international friendly against Belarus in May 2006. 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…

Club

International

Carson's son, Hayden, currently plays for Salford City B.