Serial winner – Mick McCarthy, is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He is currently the manager of English Championship club Cardiff City. Rewinding the years and looking at his legendary playing career, McCarthy began at Barnsley where he won player of the year three times, which earned him a move to mega-club Manchester City, where he won player of the year once again. McCarthy then moved to football behemoth Celtic FC, where he won the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup. He then finished his career at the footballing institution that is Millwall.

As if it was meant to be, McCarthy went on to manage Millwall then the Republic of Ireland, two teams he holds close to his heart. The legend proved that management was definitely his game when he guided The Republic of Ireland to the knockout stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He went on to manage a number of elite level clubs such as Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town. Some would say romantically, McCarthy went back for a second time to manage The Republic of Ireland. The strategic genius decided to leave his position as head coach in April 2020 in the wake of the pandemic, having successfully guided the team to a Euro 2020 playoff place.

When not successfully managing squads of world beating players, McCarthy can be seen on TV doing work as a television pundit and commentator for major broadcasters such as The BBC and Virgin. Whether in management or on TV, McCarthy’s wisdom and captivating personality means that he will stay at the top of the footballing pyramid.