Champions League
Micah Hamilton wrote a little football fairy tale on Wednesday. The 20-year-old scored the 1-0 lead in Manchester City’s 3-2 UEFA Champions League win at Red Star Belgrade in his first professional game. He began his journey into coach Josep Guardiola’s star team as a ball boy at the club.
14.12.2023 11.01
Online since today, 11:01 a.m
Six years ago, Hamilton first made it into the media when he received instructions from Guardiola on the sidelines during a City game to bring the ball back to the sideline more quickly in his role as the club’s ball boy. On Wednesday he not only laid the foundation for the away win with his debut goal in the 19th minute, but also won a penalty.
Guardiola was correspondingly impressed with the attacking midfielder. “What a goal and what a game,” said the Spaniard, who has been City coach since 2016. “I’m so happy for him. He often trains with us and we have seen his skills one-on-one. He scored a fantastic goal and got a penalty.”
“When he got stuck in one-on-one situations, he made the right pass and was also aggressive in defense,” Guardiola continued. “Congratulations to everyone at the academy for the last few years. So many players have come up from there, many we have sold and they are playing in the Premier League, Championship or somewhere else.”
A real homegrown player
The goalscorer himself said he was “delighted” to have scored on his debut. “But it hasn’t leaked out yet.” Hamilton was born and raised in Manchester and joined City at the age of seven. There he played in all age groups, but the appearance in the Champions League was his first in the fighting team.
This season he was on the bench against Newcastle in the League Cup and against Young Boys Bern in the Champions League. After Wednesday’s game, there could be more appearances for the 20-year-old in the future.