James McCarthy was born in Glasgow on 12 November 1990 (age 35), and built his career as a Republic of Ireland central midfielder. His early league impact came at Hamilton Academical, where the 2007-08 season brought six goals in 35 appearances – still his most productive league campaign.
Wigan Athletic became the next significant step, with McCarthy settling into the role of a central defensive midfielder rather than a headline act. From there his career took him on to Crystal Palace, before Celtic brought him back to Glasgow in August 2021.
His Celtic spell was not short of medals. McCarthy won two Premiership titles, in 2021-22 and 2022-23, along with two League Cups. He left Celtic in August 2024, three years after arriving from Palace.
McCarthy’s career has run from a strong teenage breakthrough at Hamilton through England and back to Celtic, where he added domestic honours before moving on in 2024.
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