Scott Carson breaks Champions League record with Man City sub appearance

Manchester City handed third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson a surprise appearance against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday as the Englishman replaced Ederson with 20 minutes to go.

The 36-year-old was involved in one of the more surprising transfers as he joined City on loan from Derby County in 2019, and they signed him permanently in 2021.

In May 2021, City gave Carson his first Premier League appearance in almost a decade as they beat Newcastle 4-3, and now the veteran goalkeeper has made his European debut for Pep Guardiola's side.

In doing so, Carson broke a very niche record, and it's unlikely to ever be beaten again.

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Carson made his senior debut back in 2003 for Leeds United, and the goalkeeper went on to play for the likes of Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion throughout his career.

The current City keeper then went on a bit of a journey, as he played for Turkish side Bursaspor before joining Derby in 2015, where he went on to make more league appearances than at any other side.

There are theories as to why City signed Carson, but he still earned the move due to his own merit, and the goalkeeper has now earned a Champions League appearance for the Premier League champions.

But it wasn't the first Champions League game in his career, as Carson played for Liverpool against Juventus when he was just 19, and he has now broken a very unique record.

Carson's only previous Champions League appearance came 16 years and 338 days ago for Liverpool, making it the largest gap between appearances for any player in the competition's history.

Although a rare cameo appearance, Carson did make a huge save against Sporting to keep the second leg level, and kept a clean sheet for the final 20 minutes that he was given.

Naturally, there were a lot of questions asked about Carson's introduction, and Guardiola explained the decision, as he said: "We are delighted - he is very important behind the scenes.

"The chemistry with Eddy and Zack (Steffen), people listen to him. It was important and he made a big save to ensure we didn't lose the game."

Although a major difference in career paths, Carson is reportedly an extremely popular figure in the City dressing room, and he and no.1 goalkeeper Ederson are apparently close pals.

Carson's contract is also up in the summer, and if he is to leave and potentially even consider retirement then Guardiola has at least given him a huge moment to savour.

The former Derby goalkeeper was only on the bench because second-choice Steffen is still recovering from a shoulder injury, but unlike last season when he got a run out in the Premier League, it's unlikely that he will get a chance with the title race in full swing.