James ‘Jamie’ Carragher, born in 1978, is a former defender for Liverpool FC and sports pundit.

He was a rare ‘one-club’ star, remaining with Liverpool throughout his 17-year professional football career, becoming one of their longest-serving players ever.

Born and raised in Merseyside, his father was a die-hard supporter of Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals, Everton – so much so his middle names Lee and Duncan are in honour of players Gordon Lee and Duncan McKenzie.

He has been football mad since a child, later joining the FA’s School of Excellence as a child.

In 1988, he began attending Liverpool FC’s School of Excellence – though notably proved antagonistic by wearing an Everton kit shirt to practise.

Carragher has been married to Nicola Hart, who he first started dating when he was 18, since 2005.

Together they have two children, with their son, James, born in 2002 following in his dad’s footsteps by becoming a professional footballer. He’s currently a centre-back for Wigan Athletic.

His daughter, Mia, born in 2004 is a model and actress who in 2024 appeared in Channel 4 drama, The Gathering.

Since 2013, he has been a regular face on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, appearing in 179 episodes.

From 2019 to 2021, he hosted football podcast, The Greatest Game, and he is now a regular contributor of The Overlap podcast with Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright.

Joining Liverpool’s Academy when he was just nine, Carragher took time to find his feet on the pitch and in the club.

He briefly moved to the Everton team, before returning at the age of 11.

He made the youth reserves team during the 1994-1995 season, becoming man of the match in his first game across Blackburn Rovers.

In 1996, he was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup, alongside the likes of Gareth Roberts, Jamie Cassidy and Michael Owen.

He made his debut for the first team in 1997, coming on as a substitute for Rob Jones in a League Cup quarter-final. This was followed days later by his Premier League debut against West Ham United.

Carragher became a first team member during the 1997-1998 team, joining a team that included Michael Owen, Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Fowler and Paul Ince.

He was named Player of the Year after the ‘98-’99 season – an accolade he would win two more times in his career.

During the ‘00-‘01 season Liverpool saw a string of decorations including the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield.

He was named Liverpool’s vice captain in 2003, and remained in the position for 10 years.

In the ‘04-’05 season, he was moved to centre back and remained there for the rest of his career.

Carragher announced his international retirement after the 2006-2007 season, after breaking the club’s player record for most international games.

At the time of writing (October 2024), Carragher maintains the record for most appearances for Liverpool in European competitions, totalling 149 games.

In 2013, Carragher announced his professional retirement from the game, and played his last match on May 19, 2013 against Queens Park Rangers.

He had played 737 games for the team at the time of his retirement, and was given a guard of honour ahead of the match in honour of his career.

Carragher first started his career with the England squad as part of his Under-21 team in 1996 as a defensive midfielder, and later became team captain.

He played 27 games before he aged out of the team.

Carragher made his debut for the main England squad in April 1999.

While missing the 2002 FIFA World Cup due to injury, he was back in business and selected for the Euros in 2004. However, he never played a game during the tournament.

He was also on the squad for the 2006 World Cup, though not in the starting line-up.

Though made his official retirement from international games in 2007, he returned to the preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup.

He noted at the time that one of the reasons for leaving the team was Liverpool remaining his priority. His subsequent return was labelled as a “one-off”.

Carragher has been noted for his charitable giving, often visiting schools, youth clubs and homeless shelters.

In 2009, he set up the 23 Foundation to help the youth of Merseyside.

He also returned to the pitch for charity matches, including UNICEF fundraiser Soccer Aid in 2015.