James McCarthy, born on the 12th of November in 1990 (now aged 35) is a Scottish-born footballer who generally played in the position of a central defensive midfielder. He is not a short man, standing 5st 10in (1.8m) in height, and weighing a solid 11 stone 4 pounds (72kg).
McCarthy's career in professional football commenced in July 2006 when he joined Hamilton Academical, a team competing in Scotland's League One. In his debut season (2006 - 2007), he secured a place in the first team, making 23 appearances and netting one goal. The 2007 - 2008 season saw him maintain his first team position with 35 appearances and an improved scoring record, accumulating six goals. This upward trajectory continued in the 2008 - 2009 season, where he made 37 first team appearances and equalled his previous goal tally of six.
McCarthy moved to England in July 2009, when he transferred to Wigan Athletic - also competing in League One - for a fee of approximately £1.2 million. His appearances tallied similarly to his time at Hamilton, with 20 first team matches in the 2009 - 2010 season and a score of one goal. The next three seasons saw him make between 24 to 38 first team appearances per season, with goals amounting to between zero to three per season.
In September 2013, McCarthy's career took another upward turn when Everton, a Premier League team, paid approximately £13 million for his services. His form remained consistent, with appearance numbers ranging from 28 to 34 in the first four seasons and a goal tally of one to two per season. From the 2016 - 2017 season onward, his time on the field started to diminish, however, with appearances dropping to 12, then four, and finally, a single appearance in the 2018 - 2019 season.
August 2019 saw McCarthy move on to Crystal Palace for around £3 million. Here he made 33 first team appearances in his first season. In the following 2020 - 2021 season, his appearances dipped to 16 first team matches.
After two seasons at Crystal Palace, McCarthy made a move that warmed the hearts of many a Celtic supporter: he joined Celtic in Scotland's Premiership in August 2021. In his first 2021 - 2022 season at Celtic, he made a modest ten first team appearances and only two in the following 2022 - 2023 season.
Though his time at Celtic did not see a high frequency of appearances, his presence in the team certainly added a layer of experience and robustness to the squad. His journey in professional football continued beyond Celtic, with another transfer in August 2024. Whilst he may have donned many jerseys during his career, McCarthy will be remembered fondly by Celtic supporters for his contributions to the team, however briefly he was with the club.
