Michael Carrick may have won it all with Manchester United as a player, but he came from humble beginnings.
The classy former midfielder, who played 464 times for the Red Devils in an illustrious career, was appointed as the club’s interim manager until the end of the season earlier this week.
But a video showing a teenaged Carrick making his way as a youth footballer in the North East highlights the remarkable journey he has been on.
Michael Carrick stars on Live and Kicking, long before Manchester United job
A 13-year-old Carrick was the star of a segment on the BBC programme Live and Kicking, broadcast in February 1995.
The programme focused on Wallsend Boys Club in his native Newcastle, a club that continues to give youngsters in the area the chance to get involved with football.
Carrick is interviewed and discusses his development as a player at the club, and his prospects of making it as a professional footballer.
"I don't know if I will become a professional footballer, but I hope I do,” he says. “There's still a long way to go now - anything could happen.
Anything did indeed happen. Carrick was already on the radar of several Premier League clubs at the time of filming, and in 1997 was signed by West Ham United.
After emerging through the youth ranks and becoming a key player for the Hammers, he joined Tottenham in 2004.
His move to United came two years later, and the rest is history, but Carrick is undoubtedly appreciative of his modest roots.
“My ambition would be to score a goal for England in the World Cup final,” the 13-year-old Carrick adds in the documentary. “But first I’d just like to play for England at any level really.”
He achieved that aim, too, earning 34 caps for the Three Lions between 2001 and 2015, though he did not, unfortunately, get the chance to net in a World Cup final.
Carrick’s next ambition will be to succeed as Manchester United’s interim manager, perhaps so much that he is a candidate to take the job permanently beyond the summer.
