John Joseph Carey (23 February 1919 – 22 August 1995) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953. He was also a dual internationalist, playing for and captaining both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1947 he also captained a Europe XI which played a Great Britain XI at Hampden Park. In 1949 he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and in the same year captained the FAI XI that defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home. Carey was also the first non-UK player and the first Irishman to captain a winning team in both an FA Cup Final and the First Division. Like his contemporary Con Martin, Carey was an extremely versatile footballer and played in nine different positions throughout his career. He even played in goal for United on one occasion. Early years As a schoolboy, Carey played football for Home Farm. As a youth, he also played Gaelic football and was selected for the Dublin county team at minor level before he signed for St James's Gate at the start of the 1936–37 season. After just two months of League of Ireland football, he was spotted by Billy Behan, a Dublin-based Manchester United scout. Behan convinced the United chief scout, Louis Rocca, to check him out and in November 1936 United signed him for a then League of Ireland record fee of £250. He made his debut as an inside-left for United on 23 September 1937 against Southampton. During his first season with United, Carey, together with Harry Baird, Jack Rowley, Tommy Bamford, Tommy Breen and Stan Pearson, helped United gain promotion to the First Division. Second World War During the Second World War, Carey continued to play for Manchester United and between 1939 and 1943 he played 112 games and scored 47 goals in the wartime regional leagues. He also played as a guest for several other clubs including Cardiff City, Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool and Middlesbrough On 28 April 1940, Carey guested for a League of Ireland XI against a Scottish League XI in a 3–2 defeat at Dalymount Park. His teammates on the day included Jimmy Dunne, Paddy Bradshaw and