Former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll made a surprise return to football for his boyhood club at the age of 45… but he only lasted 36 minutes after suffering an injury!
- Roy Carroll won the Premier League and FA Cup while at Manchester United
- He also made 45 caps for Northern Ireland and played for a host of other clubs
- Carroll, aged 45, is back in action for his boyhood club Ballinamallard United
- His comeback took 36 minutes after he came off as he was injured after receiving a tackle
Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Roy Carroll has made a surprise return to football after starting between the sticks for his boyhood club Ballinamallard United.
Unfortunately for Carroll, it was not the stuff of fairy tales as the 45-year-old forced off uninjured after 36 minutes before his side lost 4-0 to Annagh United in the Northern Ireland Football League Championship ( NIFL).
Carroll, who played for United, Wigan and West Ham among others, came on for Ballinamallard in an emergency as the club was hit by injuries.
Former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Roy Carroll made a surprise return to action for his boyhood club
The goalkeeping coach donned the gloves in an appearance that came nearly 30 years after he made his debut for the semi-pro side.
He played for Ballinamallard as a teenager before moving to the UK to start life as a professional footballer, first at Hull.
Once Carroll agreed to be replaced by another goalkeeper, Josh Brownlee, who was 23 years younger.
The former shot-stopper made 45 appearances for Northern Ireland and played in all parts of the world including at home, England, Scotland, France and even Greece.
Carroll, now aged 45, was a Premier League and FA Cup winner with Manchester United
An infamous one in Carroll’s career came against Tottenham in 2005 when he recovered the ball from behind the line but the officials disallowed the goal.
Carroll, pictured in February 2021, returned to Northern Ireland to play for Dungannon Swifts aged 43 after struggling with depression
One moment in Carroll’s long career that all football fans will remember was his infamous save against Tottenham in 2005 where he pinched the ball back from the far line so that you could almost see the net ripple.
Although Carroll had stiff competition with Fabian Barthez for a place in goal at Old Trafford, he earned a Premier League medal in 2002-03.
He also won an FA Cup medal after coming on as a late substitute for Tim Howard in the final against Milwall.
The pandemic hit Carroll hard, initially forcing him to quit his job as goalkeeping coach at Nottingham Forest’s academy after one day and return to Northern Ireland a year later.
Carroll, often open about his battles with alcohol and depression, told Sportsmail last year that he was starting to struggle again before Dungannon Swifts offered him the chance to play again aged 43, two years after his last appearance in the Irish League. for Linfield.
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