 Carrick was born to Vince and Lynn Carrick in Wallsend , Tyne and Wear , and first became involved in football when he was five years old . A boyhood fan of Newcastle United , he played five @-@ a @-@ side football with Wallsend Boys Club on Saturday nights , courtesy of his father 's volunteer work at the club . Football became more serious for him at the age of 12 when he was selected for Burnside High School and later on North Tyneside Schools . While playing for Wallsend Boys ' Club under 16s , he was capped for the England Boys ' club side . At the age of 13 , Carrick was profiled by the BBC children 's programme Live & Kicking episode 49 , which aired on 4 February 1995 . During his school years , and the years up until his move to West Ham United , Carrick actually played as a centre @-@ forward ; it was only at West Ham that he started to play more often as a midfielder . He studied at Wallsend 's Western Middle School and Burnside Community High School , completing his GCSE exams in 1997 . 
