John Joseph Carey was born in Dublin on the 23rd of February 1919 but sadly passed away on the 22nd of August 1995 aged 76.

Often known as Jackie, he was a member of the Home Farm club in Dublin as a schoolboy, but he also played GAA and was selected to represent Dublin at minor level, before being banned by Croke Park because he also played 'foreign' games.

He joined St James' Gate in 1936, but within two months, he joined Manchester United for the princely sum of £250. He made his Ireland debut against Norway the following year. While at United, he played in 10 outfield positions, the exception being outside left, and even played in goal on one occasion.

World War II interrupted his career from 1939 to 1945 and Carey, a patriotic Irishman, volunteered for service and was stationed in Italy. He played football part-time while there and, unsurprisingly, he was asked to remain in Italy when peace was restored.

Luckily for Ireland, and Manchester United, he turned down the Italians' offers and in a trophy packed post-war era, he became the first Irishman to captain FA Cup winners (1948) and English League Champions (1952).

He was also named Footballer of the Year in 1949 and captained a Rest of Europe side that faced England in 1947. Also in 1947, he had the unique honour of captaining both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

After retiring from playing, Carey remained involved in football and became manager of Blackburn Rovers (twice), Everton, Leyton Orient, and Nottingham Forest.