When City lifted the trophy – and with it sealed a historic Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European success – it saw Carson equal the record for the longest gap between securing Champions League/European Cup winning medals for a player.
The former England goalkeeper, who was on the City bench at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, claimed his second Champions League winners’ medal following our 1-0 win over the Italians.
That success in Turkey came 18 years after Carson had been part of the Liverpool squad that claimed the 2005 Champions League crown via a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win over AC Milan after the sides had drawn 3-3 after 90 minutes and extra time.
Ironically, that final too was also played out at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The 37-year-old’s achievement on Saturday then saw him equal former AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta’s record for the longest timeframe between maiden and last Champions League wins as a player.
AC Milan legends Maldini and Costacurta first won the European Cup with the Italians back in 1989 when they beat Steaua Bucharest of Romania 4-0 in Barcelona.
18 years later, Maldini was captain of the AC side that lifted the Champions League trophy in 2007 after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in Athens.
Costacurta also received a medal though he did not feature in the AC squad that evening.
City boss Pep Guardiola has regularly highlighted the important role of Carson - both within the hugely admired City goalkeeping unit along with his key impact on the wider squad.
The highly experienced ‘keeper – who initially joined City on loan from Derby back in 2019 - recently signed a new one-year contract extension, keeping him at the Club until the summer of 2024.
