James McCarthy is a professional footballer who plays for Wigan Athletic as a midfielder. McCarthy made his debut for Hamilton against Queen of the South as a substitute on 30 September 2006, becoming the youngest player to play for Hamilton Academical in the 21st century. On 6 January 2007, at 16 years and 55 days old, McCarthy became the youngest player ever to score in Hamilton Academical's history when he scored in a Scottish Cup defeat against Livingston. He also won the SPFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2008–09 season. Hamilton moved to Wigan Athletic on 21 July 2009, on a five-year deal, believed to be worth just under £1.2 million. He scored his first goal for Wigan in the FA Cup third round victory against fellow Premier League teamHull City on 2 January 2010 and marked his first Premier League start with a goal in a 2–0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 16 January 2010. In August 2011, McCarthy signed a new five-year contract at the club. McCarthy made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland Under-17s in January 2007 against Italy. He was quickly promoted to the Under-18s and played his first game at that level versus Germany in November 2007. McCarthy received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland national squad in February 2010, for a friendly with Brazil played in London. McCarthy made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland on 26 March 2011 in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia.
