Micah Hamilton's journey from Man City ball boy to Champions League goalscorer

Pep Guardiola was a bit of a nuisance as a Barcelona ball boy.

Never needing two invitations to sneak onto the pitch at the final whistle, Guardiola harangued Michel Platini and Gary Lineker for autographs - without success - and was captured on film almost ripping Victor Munoz's shirt off his torso after the 1986 European Cup semi-finals.

Micah Hamilton was far more obedient in the same capacity for Manchester City. As a baby-faced teenager, Hamilton dutifully received instructions as a ball boy from Guardiola on the touchline. Six short years later, Hamilton had crossed the white line, marking his debut for Guardiola's City with a goal in the Champions League against Red Star.

Here's a look at Hamilton's upward trajectory.

Derby decision

Hamilton has been part of City's revered academy system since joining the under-nines. Yet, the fleet-footed winger first came on the club's radar when he was as young as five and had the choice of Manchester's elite while he was still in primary school.

"I had the decision between City and United," Hamilton revealed in an interview with the Secret Scout. "My family left it to me, [although] I knew my dad wanted me to sign for City. United, at that age, you did what you wanted, whereas City was drilled."

While the chaos that reigns in the red half of Manchester makes that decision seem straightforward in hindsight, Hamilton was choosing between the clubs while Sir Alex Ferguson was still at the helm of United and before City had won their first Premier League title. It proved to be a prescient call.

"Just nod"

Guardiola was not impressed with anything that he saw in the opening half-hour of Manchester City's Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace in September 2017. City had been thoroughly frustrated by Roy Hodgson's visitors who succeeded in clogging up the contest.

"If there was a foul, no one went to take the ball and start to play," Guardiola fretted after the match. "There was five, ten seconds before someone goes to take the ball and start to play. When this happens everything is slow. So the ball boys were slow, everybody was slow."

To pick up the pace, Guardiola ushered over the nearest ball kid, placed an arm around his shoulder and feverishly whispered in his ear during the first half.

A 13-year-old Hamilton was the unwitting recipient of Guardiola's instructions but was understandably overawed by the situation. "He just called me over," Hamilton remembered, "and he was telling me something and I'm just thinking: 'Yeah, just nod.'"

Whether the message got through or not, Leroy Sane opened the scoring on the cusp of half-time before City romped to a 5-0 win.

Breakthrough campaign

Hamilton was only 16 when the 2020/21 campaign began but established himself as an integral part of City's under-18 team which romped to regional and national titles that season.

Racking up 11 goals and eight assists in 22 appearances, Hamilton offered as much entertainment as end product. Youth team coach Brian Barry-Murphy has been effusive in his praise of Hamilton's "unique ability to beat players one-v-one". "Really he's almost like an old-fashioned player, a street footballer, his skills are incredible," Barry-Murphy told City's official website.

Guardiola was quick to highlight this aspect of Hamilton's game after City's victory over Red Star in December. "I'm so happy for him, he's training quite often with us, we saw his skills up front and in one-v-ones and when he could not be one-v-one he gave extra passes," the Catalan coach said of a player that attempted more take-ons than anyone else on the Marakana pitch.

"Today football is losing the dribble," Guardiola lamented in 2022. "Without players who dribble, nothing can be done." There was a notable shift away from controlled passers to sparky tricksters during City's recruitment drive this summer, with the likes of Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes replacing Cole Palmer and Ilkay Gundogan. Hamilton bolsters City's resources in this regard.

Injury issues

At 20 years of age, Hamilton has had to wait a little longer for his debut than some of City's other academy graduates. This delayed promotion has been forced by a hellish 18-month sequence of injuries after his stellar 2020/21 campaign.

Hamilton required ankle surgery in 2021 after twice failing to overcome an issue in that area when moving up to City's Elite Development Squad (EDS).

These fitness struggles likely contributed to the bundle of goodwill that flew his way once he did finally make a dent in the first-team squad. Hamilton was informed in front of his academy colleagues that he would be part of City's squad for their European clash with Young Boys in September, prompting what one coach described as "a huge roar in celebration". One can only imagine the reaction of City's EDS when Hamilton scored.

Dream debut

Not only was Hamilton making his long-awaited senior debut, but he was lining up away from home in Europe's premier club competition in an unfamiliar position.

The inverted left winger reflected: "I saw it as a challenge as I'd not really played on the right before, and I enjoyed every moment."

On his unnatural flank, the right-footer waggled his boot over the ball, bamboozling Red Star captain Aleksandar Dragovic enough to open up a yard of space. Jinking onto his stronger side, Hamilton blasted his first-ever shot at senior level past Omri Glazer in the 19th minute. In celebration, Guardiola turned to the bench incredulously. The shock had not worn off by the final whistle. "What a goal, eh?" Guardiola grinned post-game.

Not content with just one stellar moment, Hamilton weaved between two red shirts to win an 85th-minute penalty for City once he had been shifted onto his favoured left flank.

Hamilton was hungry for more game time. "It's definitely just the start and I want to kick on from here," the 20-year-old insisted. "It's surreal and I'm still taking it in. I was delighted to score on my debut but it still hasn't sunk in."

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