James McCarthy

James McCarthy

James McCarthy of Celtic was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 12 November 1990 (age 33)

James McCarthy · Photo: Vagelis Georgariou

James McCarthy, a midfielder originally from Scotland, currently plays for Celtic as a central defensive presence. At 5ft 10in and 11st 4lb, this sturdy build is amplified by his position on the field, donning the number 16 jersey.

McCarthy's professional football journey began in 2006 when he joined Hamilton Academical in Scotland's Championship. Here, he made a notable impact with 23 appearances and a single goal in his debut season. For the following two seasons, he maintained a commendable presence, racking up 35 and 37 appearances respectively, with a total of twelve goals to his name during his time there. This led to a considerable move to Wigan Athletic in England's League One for a fee that totted up to £1.2m.

His tenure at Wigan Athletic included seasons marked by 20, 24, 33, 38, and five first team appearances from 2009 - 2013. His goal count also increased, adding another seven to his career tally. This caught the attention of Everton, leading to another down-the-line transfer, this time for a whopping £13m.

Everton offered McCarthy a career in the big leagues, the Premier League, from 2013 to 2019. During his time there, he scored six goals and had a rather steady presence on the field with seasons filled with 34, 28, 29, 12 and a surprising low of four and one appearances respectively. Everton then sold him off to Crystal Palace for a fee of £3m in August 2019.

In his two-season run at Crystal Palace, McCarthy chalked up a tally of 49 appearances in total. His time is perhaps less memorable for Palace supporters, with no goals to reminisce over. The one notable aspect is his £3m transfer fee, a stark contrast from the eye-watering £13m paid by Everton.

August 2021 saw the Scottish native return home, this time sporting the green and white hoops of Celtic. Prior to the start of the 2024 season, he achieved only twelve appearances, and looks to have moved on as of 7 August 2024.

This player profile is regularly updated with the help of AI. Last updated 7 October 2024. Send feedback

James McCarthy stats

Check out all of the statistics about James McCarthy.

Cen Def Mid
Primary Position
Midfielder
Position
CDM
1.8m (5ft 10in)
Height
16
Squad Number
72kg (11st 4lb)
Weight
12 November 1990 (age 33)
Date of Birth
Glasgow
Birthplace
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Country of Birth
Celtic
Team

Career stats

Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2024 - 2025
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
-
Goals
-
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2022 - 2023
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
2
Goals
-
Team
Celtic
Celtic
Season 2021 - 2022
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
10
Goals
-
Team
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
Season 2020 - 2021
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
16
Goals
-
Team
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
Season 2019 - 2020
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
33
Goals
-
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2018 - 2019
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
1
Goals
-
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2017 - 2018
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
4
Goals
-
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2016 - 2017
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
12
Goals
1
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2015 - 2016
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
29
Goals
2
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2014 - 2015
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
28
Goals
2
Team
Everton
Everton
Season 2013 - 2014
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
34
Goals
1
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Season 2013 - 2014
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
5
Goals
-
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Season 2012 - 2013
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
38
Goals
3
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Season 2011 - 2012
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
33
Goals
-
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Season 2010 - 2011
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
24
Goals
3
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Season 2009 - 2010
Country
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Games
20
Goals
1
Team
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical
Season 2008 - 2009
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
37
Goals
6
Team
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical
Season 2007 - 2008
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
35
Goals
6
Team
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical
Season 2006 - 2007
Country
Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Games
23
Goals
1

Transfers

Team
Celtic
Celtic
3 August 2021
From
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
Type
Free Transfer
Team
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
7 August 2019
From
Everton
Everton
Type
Fee (£3m)
Team
Everton
Everton
2 September 2013
From
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Type
Fee (£13m)
Team
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
21 July 2009
From
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical
Type
Fee (£1.2m)
Team
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical
1 July 2006
Type
Signed

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