Michael Carrick Lost Two Title Races to Manchester City, and United Fans Now Mark 50 Years Without a Trophy

• Michael Carrick was on the pitch at Sunderland in 2012 when Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time goal won Manchester City their first Premier League title, and he lost two more title races to City as a player and a coach in 2018 and 2020-21.
• Carrick says the Manchester City financial case, which ended with City found guilty of all charges, has “affected me personally,” though he will not say whether United should be handed any titles if City are stripped of theirs.
• Manchester United fans have rehung a Stretford End banner counting the years since City’s last trophy before their 2008 takeover, now reading 50, up from the 24 shown when it first went up in 2000.

He Was on the Pitch for Aguero’s Stoppage-Time Winner

Michael Carrick has lived through Manchester City’s rise from the losing side more times than most. He was still on the pitch at Sunderland in 2012 when Sergio Aguero scored the stoppage-time goal that won City their first Premier League title. He was part of Jose Mourinho’s squad when Manchester United finished runners-up to Pep Guardiola’s City side in 2018, and he was on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff when it happened again in 2020-21.

Now the Manchester United boss finds himself facing questions about whether any of those title races should be revisited, after an independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. Carrick’s answer, delivered ahead of Saturday’s game against Tottenham at Old Trafford, is that a medal handed over years later would not replace what was lost in the moment.

“In football, the strive to win, the emotion and the feeling about winning, a lot of it is in the moment,” he said. “You can’t take that back. It’s the moment you strive for. That’s essentially what we’re all in it for. That’s the feeling we all crave.”

“The beauty of trying to win trophies is a little bit the journey towards it and then the finale. Does it go for you, does it go against you? Once that’s done, there’s no getting that back in any direction,” he added. “I’m not getting blase about it, but regardless of anything, in any sport in history, if later on you get the medal, it doesn’t bring the feeling of when you initially win or you don’t.”

“It’s Affected Me Personally”

City have appealed against the guilty verdict. City boss Enzo Maresca has said he “trusts” his own club, and if the appeal follows standard Premier League timelines, it should conclude by Christmas Day, with a verdict to follow early in 2027. Carrick does not know how it will play out, but as a close observer of the entire saga, he believes a quick resolution matters more than the outcome itself.

“It’s thrown up a lot of questions,” he said. “Some had answers, some haven’t. Certainly, I’ve got my own questions about it. It’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time.” Asked directly whether United’s title near-misses should be revisited if City lose their appeal, he held back. “As it’s still not finalised, I think I’ll hold that one until later on,” he said. “What I will say is that the sooner it gets sorted, for everyone’s benefit, is essential. It’s unprecedented, a unique situation to be in at this level, with such a huge impact in so many ways. We all need to know what’s going to happen.”

The Banner That Keeps Counting

United’s supporters have given their own answer in the meantime. A ‘ticker’ banner tracking the years since City’s last trophy has been rehung from the Stretford End, now reading 50. The banner first went up in 2000, when it read 24, a reference to the gap back to City’s 1976 League Cup win. The number rose by one each year until 2011, when City ended the drought by beating Stoke City in the FA Cup final.

For this weekend’s visit of Tottenham, fans have unveiled a new version. The number has jumped to 50, now counting the years back to that same 1976 League Cup triumph, City’s last trophy before Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008 transformed the club. The banner makes no reference to the financial case at all. It does not need to. For a United fanbase whose own club has spent years short of silverware, the sign is a reminder that City’s more recent dominance sits inside a much longer history that long predates any of it.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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