Former Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson has confirmed his retirement from professional soccer after winning 12 trophies and playing just 107 minutes for Manchester City.
Carson signed for Pep Guardiola's side in August 2019. He was the third-choice goalkeeper behind Ederson and Claudio Bravo and then returned for a second loan spell in the 2020/21 season.
On 14 May 2021, he made his first Premier League appearance in almost a decade during a 4-3 away win over Newcastle United. During the match, Carson saved a penalty from Joe Willock but let in the rebound after the ball fell kindly back to the taker.
In the summer of 2021, Carson left Derby following the expiry of his contract and he joined Manchester City on a permanent deal. In March 2022, in a round of 16 tie, the goalkeeper played in the Champions League against Sporting CP.
Carson came off the bench with around 20 minutes to go to play his first European match in 17 years. The game finished 0-0 and Guardiola gave him a chance to play out of sentimentality.
Manchester City was 5-0 up from the first leg and Carson was rewarded for his work behind the scenes on the training ground.
Scott Carson
Scott Carson played nine games for Liverpool. (Image: Getty Images)
"We are delighted — he is very important behind the scenes," Guardiola said. "The chemistry with Eddy and Zack (Steffen), people listen to him. It was important and he made a big save to ensure we didn’t lose the game."
In June 2022, Carson signed a new one-year contract to remain at the Etihad Stadium. He was an unused substitute when Manchester City won the Champions League by beating Inter Milan.
That game was contested at the same stadium, the Ataturk in Istanbul, where he had won the 2005 edition of the tournament while with Liverpool against AC Milan.
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In doing so, Carson equaled the record for the longest gap between a first and last European Cup victory (18 years), shared with AC Milan's Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta.
In the summers of 2023 and 2024, Carson extended his contract by another year at Manchester City.
He was kept around as a homegrown player and a third-choice goalkeeping option who was never likely to feature much.
Earlier this year, Manchester City announced that Carson would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2024/25 season. He has now confirmed his retirement from the game.