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Name: Cameron Robert Carter-Vickers
aka: CCV, CRCV, CV, CRV, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Cameron Carter Vickers, ‘The Fridge’
Born: 31 December 1997
Birthplace: Southend-on-Sea, England
Signed (on loan): 31 Aug 2021 (on loan with option to buy from Spurs);
Signed (permanently): 10 Jun 2022 (from Spurs, est £6m + £4m addons)
Left: –
Position: Centre-back, Defender
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Ross County, SP, 11 Sep 2021
Squad No.: 20
Internationals: United States
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
“The whole thing has just been a fairytale.”
James Paviour, chairman of Catholic United FC (2022)
On Loan to Celtic (2021/22)
Cameron Carter-Vickers arrived at Celtic very surprisingly at the very last minute of the transfer window on 31 Aug 2021 to help bolster the squad for defenders under new manager Ange Postecoglu. He arrived on loan with an option to convert for Celtic. By background, Cameron’s father is Howard Carter, an American basketball player who spent his professional career in the NBA and Europe before becoming a French citizen.
For Cameron this was a big move to Celtic, as despite being long on the books of Spurs, he’d only played a few games for their first team, and now this was his seventh loan signing out which didn’t help him. He was deemed more likely a squad addition rather than a certain starter for Celtic initially. Anyhow, most Celtic fans were happy to hear that Cameron had made his name initially at an Essex based side called ‘Catholics Utd‘ who played in the Green & White hoops following a donation by former Celtic Chairman Bob Kelly in 1968 to help them out. It led to interest and then donations by Celtic fans to that club, and a major new relationship developed online.
An incredible debut, winning man of the match, turning the game around with a very unexpected goal albeit a comical one with a massive deflection ending up with the goal dipping over the Ross County keeper to get behind the goal line. Celtic won 3-0 and for Cameron Carters-Vickers it was a defining moment, with praise from across social media.
From there on in he was to be a consistent player, the rock in the defence and built a strong unit with his defensive colleagues. The tactics to begin moves from the back was often shaky but he grew into it and the defensive record domestically was excellent. His physical frame led to the nickname of The Fridge after the old 1980s American footballer and many an opposition player could attest to its appropriateness. Carter-Vickers was rock-solid, reliable, dependable and unflappable.
His most celebrated day was his Spartan-esque defensive performance to hold out Sevco in the 2-1 away victory in April 2022 which effectively was the match that led to the league title. He was a colossus and scored the winner in a scramble in the box.
This was an incredible story. Prior to Celtic he was another washed up player used by a big club sent out here & there on loan with no stability denting his career. At Celtic he had something, and with that stability he had proven himself. He may not have had much pace, but he certainly wasn’t slow into making a decision and a challenge, and was developing his positioning.
This imposing Brit/American was just what Celtic had needed for some time, especially with the loss of Christoph Jullien out due to injury for a very long time. Unafraid of the physical side of the game, and willing to endlessly push in pursuit of the winning of football matches, it was obvious to see why Ange Postecoglou had faith in him in his plans for Celtic.
Permanent at Celtic (Season 2022/23)
“I have loved every minute of my time at Celtic so far and I really wanted to be part of the club’s future. I wanted to make sure I was part of this group going forward and working under a great manager.”
Signing on permanently at Celtic after that successful season, and a back handed compliment to CCV was that when he was out the side the Celtic side often looked a pale shadow of what it otherwise should be. His fellow central defenders had to compete amongst themselves for the position alongside him.
Celtic drove on top domestic dominance sealing the treble, albeit the Champions League campaign was poor. CCV was a key player, and all centred round him at the back.
As a measure of his dedication, he played to the last minute possible, giving a man of the match performance in a 1-0 victory in the Scottish Cup semi-finals over Sevco in April 2023, after which he was rested for the rest of the season in order to undergo knee surgery. This match closed the season and set up Celtic for the domestic treble, and he was a key bulwark in this achievement.
To many he was the player of the season, an incredible achievement when there was strong competition from Hatate and Kyogo for that honour. All had many arguing for each case.
Brendan Rodgers Era (2023/24 onwards)
Season 2023/24
The loss of Postecoglou ironically to Carter-Vickers old club (Spurs) meant a new manager to play under. A routine he thought he had escaped. However as Brendan Rodgers was a returnee to Celtic it was always going to be less of an arduous transition than in previous handovers.
The main problem was that recovering from surgery was going to take time and patience. Cover was brought in to cover for him, but only Liam Scales was up to the task. He was unfortunate to be culpable for the late conceded goal v Lazio in the Champions League at home, but he still had a fine game.
It took him a long while to finally get back to form, and once he did, it was clear the difference that his presence in the first team made. It didn’t matter who he partnered in the centre of defence, the side was infinitely better. Despite the costly introduction of Nawrocki and Lagerbielke, it was always a challenge for others to fight to play alongside Carter-Vickers.
Some would argue fairly that Carter-Vickers wasn’t just the rock in the defence but the rock in the whole team. Celtic’s poorest form was when he was absent or not fully to form, and in season 2023/24 there was a long lull in form in the first team. The key run-in in the final quarter of the 2023/24 season which saw Celtic turn things around and win the league (after unfathomably having lost a large league lead originally) and then the Scottish Cup, it was certainly due to the return in full-form of Carter-Vickers. There may have been issues with the form of the defence, but Carter-Vickers was always one who was excused. He was that well respected, not just at Celtic but clearly more widely too.
Season 2024/25
Into season 2024/25, and having mostly shaken off the worst of the injuries, his role was again as the lynchpin of the side, with Scales and new arrival Trusty battling it out to play alongside him. His added task was to mentor his colleagues as much as do his own role, and his influence paid off when in his absence his colleagues put up an incredible defensive performance away to in-form Atlanta in the Champions League. When he scored a comical own goal after a mix up in a 1-1 draw v Club Brugges, everyone shrugged it off due to the goodwill he’d built up over the years.
Despite that, it continued to be the case for solidity starting at the back with Carter-Vickers, with ambivalence over who should be partnering him, and surprising this even included Nawrocki at times after his few appearances! Nawrocki even managed to get higher praise above Carter-Vickers after the 3-2 home defeat to TheRangers (Mar 2025).
If you wanted to find a key match performance this season that defined Carter-Vickers, then undeniably, it was the Celtic league Cup title win Dec 2024. The key moment that tested his ability was an incredible situation when Carter Vickers was left stranded by himself to defend against FOUR players. Really it was set for a certain Sevco goal, only for Carter Vickers to incredibly keep stoic, then shepherd & control the situation, put in a timely tackle and somehow save the situation! Incredible bit of play. How many other players anywhere in the world could have matched the same? Most would have admitted defeat upfront, he was incredible. He just puffed his chest out, then strolled about the Celtic half like he owned it, always seeming to be in the right place.
Celtic dominated in the season, and Carter-Vickers was again a rock that gave confidence to the midfield and beyond with little need to worry about the defence. Celtic went on to win the league & league cup double, with Carter-Vickers one of the most reliable & respected players in the squad. He just bossed his area, and incredibly Celtic only conceded 26 goals in the entire league campaign.
However, set pieces especially corners was a problem. Ridiculous criticism from some American commentators/ex-players on his part with his national team was just tabloid stories for click-bait, as if Carter-Vickers was to blame (which he wasn’t), and best all swatted away.
The problem was though on his injury status. He was lost at times due to treatment and arguably overplayed due to the need to rush him back due to concerns over the others. The lack of a consistent central defensive partner didn’t help him out.
Season 2025/26
[tbc….]
Quotes
“Well done Cameron, a Catholics Utd youth player!!! Seemed destined to play for The Hoops.”
@CatholicUtdFC twitter: https://twitter.com/CatholicUtdFC/status/1432841212029984769?s=20
“Fate took him to Paradise!”
@CatholicUtdFC twitter
“The Celtic fans are amazing. They sing right through games, they really get behind us and that really helped us. The support is amazing, I know a lot of people say that, but up here it is generally top, it does really, really help the team.”
Cameron Carter-Vickers (2022)
“Playing for Celtic in general brings its own pressure as you are expected to win every game. That does help you as a player because you always have to be on it. The pressure helps motivate you.”
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Apr 2022)
“Not only are we tremendously proud of what Cameron has achieved but the impact his move to Celtic has had on our club is nothing short of remarkable.
“As a by-product of him signing for Celtic we gained 22,000 followers on social media and have had people make trips down from Glasgow to watch our games.
“The whole thing has just been a fairytale.”
James Paviour, chairman of Catholic United FC (2022)
“I have loved every minute of my time at Celtic so far and I really wanted to be part of the club’s future. I wanted to make sure I was part of this group going forward and working under a great manager.”
CCV on converting to permanent (June 2022)
“It hasn’t been plain sailing all season. But I think at all times we have stayed cool and calm and kept working and, I think if you do that, you usually get your rewards at the end.”
Carter-Vickers (May 2024)
“To be fair, I hit them now and again in training. Today I curly-toed it a wee bit and it beat the keeper.”
Carter-Vickers on his brilliant long-range spectacular goal v Kilmarnock (5-1 win, Apr 2025)
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Playing Career
[Table to indicate clubs played for, including dates, transfers and fees where known [e.g. soccerbase table]]
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2021-22 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 44 |
| Goals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 39 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 31 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | |||||
| Goals | |||||
| Total | |||||
| Goals |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
Scottish League Cup
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Articles
Celtic boss opens up on his centre-backs, makes admission on Carl Starfelt
Ange Postecoglou says he will not judge new centre-backs Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers on the first part of their Celtic career, admitting they have been thrown in at the deep end.
By Mark Atkinson
Friday, 22nd October 2021, 6:00 am
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-boss-opens-up-on-his-centre-backs-makes-admission-on-carl-starfelt-3428539
Both Starfelt and Carter-Vickers arrived at the club this season and were immediately pressed into action, with in particular Starfelt – an arrival from Rubin Kazan – receiving scrutiny for his early performances.
Postecoglou, however, accepts responsibility for any sub-standard performances so far and believes both players have a lot of scope for improvement.
“I felt for Carl because we threw Carl in and I think he had three or four different centre-halves as partners and he was new himself,” said Postecoglou. “People were judging him on what they saw. I knew there was more in him and I still think there is. Cam we just threw in. We signed him on deadline day and virtually threw him into the first team. The good thing about Cam is that he’s a real calm character. He’s mature beyond his years. Even though he’s fairly young he has settled in really well.
“The key for both of them is that they want to learn. They want to develop, they want to improve every week. They’re coming in, sitting down with coaches doing the analysis and I think they’re getting confidence from that. The way we play is not easy for any centre-backs. We ask a lot of our centre-backs. We ask them to play out from the back and then we’re asking them to squeeze up and be aggressive with our defending. It’s a lot easier to play centre-back in other teams I can guarantee you, but they have tackled it and we know there is more to come.
“We’ve shown faith in them and I’ve said to them all along, ‘whatever happens out there, if it doesn’t work, I’m accountable for it, not them’. I’m not going to judge them on what happens in the first part of their Celtic career. What’s important for me is that they are continually looking to learn and understand how we want to play our football. If I saw that, then I would keep encouraging them, and that’s been happening.”
“The whole thing has just been a fairytale,” Catholic United chairman on CCV and club’s Celtic story
By Niall J 26 May, 2022 No Comments
(Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images)
“The whole thing has just been a fairytale,” Catholic United chairman on CCV and club’s Celtic story
You can’t help but love stories like this one. Cameron Carter-Vickers, as you probably know, started out his footballing journey with Essex non-league club Catholic United’s Under 11’s, and 54 years ago that same club made a request to then Celtic Chairman Bob Kelly to help them out in their time of need, with a set of strips for the 1968 Walton Cup final.
And the day before the cup-final, having not heard anything back from Celtic for a number of weeks, a box of strips was duly delivered and Catholic United went on to beat Haden FC 2-1 and lift the cup decked out in green and white, colours they have stuck with until this day.
Now Cameron Carter- Vickers is about to play his part in Catholic United returning the favour as their former graduate looks set to sign on at Celtic having learned his trade as a kid with the Essex club.
As reported in Daily Record, James Paviour, chairman of Catholic United is pretty proud to see Carter-Vickers in a Celtic shirt, having been impressed by the players ability and determination prior to the big defender getting his move to Tottenham.
“Cameron played youth team football for us for a good few years before being picked up by Spurs. He was a supreme athlete even back then. A very capable player with enormous drive. It’s so pleasing to see how successful he has been.”
James of course has always kept a watchful eye on Cameron’s progress, but admits even before the USA international signed on with Celtic the Catholic United chairman was already a follower of the Hoops and much of that was down to the back-story of that set of strips sent to Essex in 1968 that saw his team kitted out in the colours of the Lisbon Lions.
: Cameron Carter-Vickers celebrates with teammate Matt O’Riley (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“I was always a Celtic follower anyway so Cameron going there changed nothing in that regard. But the back story with our club is that Celtic sent us kits back in 1968 for a cup final.
“Our chairman at the time, Glen Foy, wrote to the Celtic chairman, Bob Kelly, to explain that we had this huge game looming but that our kit was a bit of a mismatch. He asked if we could buy a set of strips from them because the manufacturer at the time wouldn’t allow the kit to be on general sale.
“The club didn’t hear anything back for a few weeks. But then the day before the cup final a big box arrived which was full of Celtic strips and a letter wishing the club luck. It was just incredible. Thankfully we went on to win the final 2-1!”
And it appears things have come full circle, as the skills Cameron Carter-Vickers honed while playing for his local team have taken him to the brink of becoming a permanent Celtic player and competing in the group stages of the Champions League. I think you can safely say that more than covers the cost of a set of strips.
“To have a former player playing for Celtic on loan was amazing but if that becomes permanent then even better. It’s nice to think we’ve maybe helped repay them for those strips!
“Not only are we tremendously proud of what Cameron has achieved but the impact his move to Celtic has had on our club is nothing short of remarkable. As a by-product of him signing for Celtic we gained 22,000 followers on social media and have had people make trips down from Glasgow to watch our games.
“The whole thing has just been a fairytale.”
Now all that’s required is for Celtic to get this deal over the line, and with reports advising personal terms with Carter-Vickers have been agreed, it looks like Celtic are on the cusp of welcoming a Catholic United graduate into the Celtic fold on a permanent basis.
Niall J
Cameron Carter-Vickers: Celtic centre-back is ‘best defender in Scotland’, says Ange Postecoglou
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64925645From the section Celtic
Cameron Carter-Vickers nods in Celtic’s third at Tynecastle
Cameron Carter-Vickers nodded in Celtic’s third goal at Tynecastle on Saturday
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou hailed centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers as the Scottish Premiership’s “best defender” following his side’s Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Hearts.
The 25-year-old scored the third goal at Tynecastle in Celtic’s 3-0 win, which booked the Viaplay Cup holders a semi-final place at Hampden.
Since his initial loan arrival from Tottenham in August 2021, the United States cap has become a key player for Postecoglou, who believes there is no better defender in Scotland.
“He’s been outstanding from the moment we signed him,” the Celtic boss told BBC Scotland. “He’s a really great defender. In our back four, you need to do a lot of one-on-one defending. Physically, he’s as strong as anyone.
“He’s got great awareness and he’s a really intelligent footballer in terms of understanding the game in the areas he needs to protect.”
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‘He’s got a bit of everything’
Postecoglou would certainly have plenty of evidence if anyone was willing to dispute his point.
Domestically, Celtic have lost just twice in 69 games while Carter-Vickers has been involved. Both came last season. One was at Livingston 18 months ago, the other was an extra-time defeat by Rangers in last term’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
This campaign alone, no defender betters the 12 clean sheets the former Bournemouth man has been part of in the Premiership.
The ex-Tottenham centre-back, who had seven different loans during his six years with the Premier League club, has won possession for his side 162 times across 25 games. Again, no other defender boasts a better tally than that.
There is also so much demanded of Carter-Vickers on the ball, with Celtic dominating possession in almost every domestic game they play. No centre-back has attempted (2,171) or completed more (1,998) passes than the US international, who has 12 caps to his name and went to the World Cup in Qatar.
Some feel the defender, who made his loan move to Celtic a permanent one last summer, perhaps goes under the radar. Postecoglou certainly doesn’t agree with that.
The praise Postecoglou’s side often receive is in relation to their attacking players, but former Celtic striker John Hartson believes Carter-Vickers’ “consistency” makes him equally as important.
“He very rarely does anything wrong,” Hartson said on Viaplay. “He wins most of his headers against all types of strikers. He isn’t the tallest, but he’s got a great leap. He’s brave, he carries the ball out of defence.
“He’s got a bit of everything and he’s been a great signing.”
Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers lifts lid on knee injury, how long he played through pain, and finding ‘perfect’ solution this season
Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers feels getting up to speed in competitive matches following knee surgery is the “perfect” solution after playing through pain for most of last season.
By Gavin McCafferty
Published 11th Aug 2023, 16:54 BST
The centre-back played the full game as Celtic began their cinch Premiership campaign with a 4-2 win over Ross County last Saturday, despite only getting 45 minutes of pre-season action.
“That’s how I want to do it,” he said ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aberdeen. “The best way to get fitness is to play games, so it’s perfect for me. I feel good, even though I didn’t train with the team until about 10 days ago, I was running on my own for a while. So physically I feel good and I’m ready to play.”
Carter-Vickers had been out for three months after being booked in for knee surgery immediately after Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers. The 25-year-old had been troubled by knee pain for the majority of the campaign but it was not evident in his impressive performances.
“It was quite a while,” he said. “Long before Christmas I initially did it. The pain wasn’t bad consistently, there were lows and highs, but it was definitely something I needed to get sorted and now that it is I am in a good spot.
“My understanding of the injury was, the likelihood was it was never going to get worse in terms of the actual damage in the knee.
“So it wasn’t too much of a risk. It was just mainly pain management. Some weeks I maybe wouldn’t train at the start of the week, I would just come in towards the end of the week to be ready for the game.
“It was about managing the pain and trying to play 90 minutes at the weekend really. I wanted to go as far as I could with it. I wanted to be there to help the team if I could and I still felt I could contribute in a positive way.
“I knew I needed it done but my view was that I would be guided by the management and the physios as to when it should happen. They thought that when I did get it done would be the best time, when we had most things wrapped up from last season and also to be ready for the beginning of this season.”
With the league all but wrapped up, the former Tottenham player put in a man-of-the-match display as Celtic beat Rangers to secure a Scottish Cup final meeting with Inverness.
“I knew that was going to be my last game before I played it,” he said. “Not much changed for me mentally, I went out there and tried to perform and help the team. But it was a bit of a weird feeling for me after the game.”
The United States international felt as much a part of Celtic’s title and treble-winning celebrations as if he had his strip on. And he said: “I enjoyed the cup final to be honest. I was there in my suit watching the game and we won.
“I’m not a real over-thinker. When I’m fit I will play the best I can and when I’m not I can’t do much about it so I just get on with it.”