Liverpool FC player profile - Jamie Carragher

James (Jamie) Lee Duncan Carragher, better known as Liverpool FC defender Jamie Carragher, was born on 28th January 1978 in Bootle where he grew up and attended the St James Roman Catholic school. At the age of sixteen Jamie Carragher joined the Liverpool FC youth side where he remained until October 1996 when he went on to sign a professional contract. He made his professional debut three months into his contract, coming on as a substitute in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Middlesborough. Jamie Carragher made his league debut soon after and scored his first goal in the game that followed. In his early career he featured as a centre-half, centre-back, right back and left back which ultimately effected his appearances in the first team. Throughout the 1999/00 season he mainly played in the right back position and then the following year Jamie Carragher switched to left back where he now plays.

Jamie Carragher made a record number of appearnaces for the England under 21 squad whom he also captained. He won his first England senior cap in 1999 coming on as a substitute in a match against Hungary. Jamie Carragher missed out on the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup finals due to injury, travelled with the squad to the Euro 2004 championships in Portugal but was kept out of the team by an in form Ledley King and at the Germany 2006 World Cup finals only eventually made it into the team when Gary Neville suffered and injury. Overall Jamie Carragher's endured a bittersweet England career where he never managed to hold down a permanent position, as with his initial club career he was used as a utility player covering for injured or rested defensive colleagues. This lack of a first team position was believed to have led to the retirement of Jamie Carragher from international football in 2007.

It was during the 2000/01 season that Jamie Carragher won his first trophies with Liverpool which included the 2001 FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup. Then in 2002 and 2003 Jamie Carragher's career was effected by injury when he firstly had an operation on his knee and then suffered a broken leg which kept hime out of thhe team until early 2004.  The following season the new Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benitez moved Jamie Carragher to the centre-back position on a permanent basis and the following season, 2004/05, he was a pivotal player in the team that won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan, since then he has broken the record as the Liverpool FC player who has appeared in the most European matches.