Carey was also the first non-UK player and the first Irishman to captain a winning team in both an FA Cup Final and the First Division.
Like his contemporary Con Martin, Carey was an extremely versatile footballer and played in nine different positions throughout his career.
As a youth, he also played Gaelic football and was selected for the Dublin county team at minor level before he signed for St James's Gate at the start of the 1936–37 season.
After just two months of League of Ireland football, he was spotted by Billy Behan, a Dublin-based Manchester United scout.
He also played as a guest for several other clubs including Cardiff City, Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool and Middlesbrough[6][7][8] On 28 April 1940, Carey guested for a League of Ireland XI against a Scottish Football League XI in a 3–2 defeat at Dalymount Park.
He also played and scored again for Rovers in a League of Ireland Shield game at Milltown against Waterford United on 11 November 1945.
He captained United to victory in the 1948 FA Cup final and to second place in the First Division four times before eventually winning the title in 1952.
His teammates at United during this era included among others, Jack Rowley, Charlie Mitten and John Aston.
[11] When Carey began his international career in 1937 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations.
Together with Peter Farrell, Con Martin, Bill Gorman, Tommy Eglington, Alex Stevenson and Davy Walsh, he was one of seven players born in the Irish Free State to play for the IFA XI that day.
One of Carey's earliest experiences as a coach came when he was still an active player; he took charge of the Ireland team at the 1948 Olympics.
He then became manager at Everton but, despite leading them to fifth place in the 1960–61 season, their highest post-war position, he was sacked in the back of a taxi by director John Moores.