The winner of Sky One talent show Football Icon is currently the manager of National League side Gateshead following an unprecedented 14-year playing career.
Carl Magnay signed a six-month deal at then-Premier League champions Chelsea in 2007 after he won the second series of Football Icon – a show that gave unsigned players between 16 and 18 a chance to win a contract at Stamford Bridge.
Thousands of players entered but after being whittled down to the final fourteen finalists, Magnay was eventually crowned the winner after impressing in Chelsea's reserve team, who were managed by Brendan Rodgers at the time.
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Speaking to The Athletic about his time at Chelsea, the Gateshead-born defender opened up on how he was initially viewed by his teammates.
“Some of the comments I got were, ‘How has he ended up here off the back of a TV show?’. I understood that. These guys were the best in the country, some of them were the best in Europe. I had to get over it very quickly," he said.
"I spoke with Brendan [Rodgers] about it a few times and he was brilliant. I just had to make sure my football did the talking and I did that pretty quickly. I earned their respect."
Magnay added: “Within a month I was playing for the youth team. Before the end of the season, I’d made my first start for the reserves. I would go on to captain the reserves and have a few loans. I was doing really well.”
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He left Chelsea in 2011 following a four-and-a-half year spell, which could have been longer had it not been for a cruciate knee ligament injury in 2010. Magnay admits he was never the same player again after that.
In the coming years, the defender played for Grimsby Town before captaining Hartlepool United in League Two. Then, following spells at Spennymoor Town and Gateshead, the 35-year-old announced he would transition into coaching.
He remained at Gateshead as part of the coaching staff but six months later, Magnay joined his former manager Mike Williamson at League Two clubs Milton Keynes Dons and Carlisle United in July and September respectively.
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Earlier this month, following a short stint at Carlisle, Magnay took up his first managerial role when he was appointed manager at National League side Gateshead. He will take charge of his first home game against Solihull Moors on Saturday.
"We are fully confident that Carl is the right person to continue the club's progression - just as he has done in his previous spells as a player and a coach," said chairman Neil Pinkerton.
Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Jose Mourinho
Jack Kenmare