On 18th October, Micheal Carrick will be launching and unveiling his autobiography. I don’t know if you are all as excited as me. I can’t wait to read about how he developed passion for football, how hard he worked and about the things that happened behind the scenes that possibly very few people know about. I read his interview in the Times and I was amazed. Well, I just felt like hyping the ‘fear of missing out’ in all of you by telling you why we all love Carrick.

Maybe you just love him and have never thought about what exactly you like about him. This article can actually be a resource in case you want to brag to your friends who support rival teams about how great a player United actually had.

Micheal Carrick played his 706th and final game for his club career at Old Trafford, where he produced a fantastic build up to the goal. I remember as he was being substituted the applaud from the fans, the standing ovation, the atmosphere was so emotional.  Everyone could testify as to how great a player Carrick was. Immediately after that game, he joined the backroom staff as part of the assistant coaches.

He had this to say about his decision to join coaching immediately, “A couple of years ago I thought maybe it would be a good thing to take a break [after ending his playing career] to spend time with the family but then it’s about timing and opportunities. You never know what is going to be around the corner. As soon as this came up I didn’t think twice. Having a break is not an issue. I’ve got six or seven weeks off after the cup final anyway.”

Michael Carrick had a big job on his hands immediately when he joined Manchester United. This was because he came in as Roy Keane’s replacement in 2006. It wasn’t an easy role to fill but he filled in the gap pretty well. This is what Sir Alex Ferguson had to say about his decision to take up Roy Keane’s shirt number, “I think that showed great courage. Sometimes players are a bit superstitious about things like that, but he was keen and said he would gladly take number 16.”

He came as an £18.6 million signing from Tottenham, which has proven to be a hard paper to deal with when it comes to transfers. Carrick has often been a polarising figure for Manchester United with five Premier League titles, three League Cups, an FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League to his name. Not mentioning the charity shield and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Much of what Carrick has done seems so simple but that’s only because he has made it look that way. In terms of temperament, Carrick is a very cool lad. He just gets the job done.

“Michael is not a guy that seeks a lot of publicity. He is a quiet lad. He goes about his life in a similar way to Scholes. It doesn’t mean he is not recognised by us.” In the words of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Although he lacks Keane’s intensity, he has the attributes of a great captain and leader. This was seen by both Van Gaal and José Mourinho. He was vice captain and later was installed as club captain. He leads by example with his performances, but most importantly he has the steel, the standards and the attitude of a United captain.

“I can’t get my head around that – to say top four is acceptable,” Carrick said in 2017. “It’s pretty much win the league or nothing for me.” He had the winning attitude in him and couldn’t just settle for mediocrity. “There have been times in the league when standards have dropped – there’s no hiding from that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get back there again if you keep doing the right things.” A pure leader mentality.

You remember that game the AS ROMA Twitter admin hasn’t gotten over yet?  Yes the 7-1 thrashing at Old Trafford. During Micheal Carrick’s 11 years at Old Trafford, the 2006 destruction of Roma is one of his career highlights.

Carrick opened the floodgates when he dug the ball out from under his feet to bend it around a defender and the Roma keeper in the 11th minute. His second goal, United’s sixth, was an arrow into the top corner from 22 yards. “I think they were two of my best goals for United on what was an incredible occasion,” Carrick told United’s official website about that particular game.

When Carrick first joined United from Spurs, supporters of both clubs seemed distinctly underwhelmed. Bernie Kingsley, a staunch Tottenham fan told BBC Sport at the time: “The general view among Tottenham fans is that it is a good deal. I don’t think fans will be desperately upset. For that sort of money and, with midfielders Tom Huddlestone and Didier Zokora at the club it has got to be good business.”

Mark Longden of the Independent Manchester United Supporters’ Association agreed saying: “I cannot understand what is going on. I have not spoken to anybody who, when £18.6m became available, would have spent that on Michael Carrick.”

Well, ladies and gentlemen I can proudly, boldly say that Micheal Carrick proved his critics wrong. I think they are all choking on their words.

Who is Micheal Carrick?
Michael Carrick was born on July 28 1981 in England. He is 1.89 metres tall and largely played the defensive midfield position at United although, he occasionally played in the defence as a center back.

Trophies
Champions League winner- 1
English Premier league Champion- 5
English FA Cup winner- 1
English League Cup winner- 3
FIFA Club World Cup winner- 1