James Lee Duncan Carragher (/ˈkærəɡər/ KARR-ə-ghər; born 28 January 1978) is an English football analyst and former player who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years.

[6] He has described his mother as a "very holy" Catholic woman who had previously suffered miscarriages but refused to consider an abortion whilst pregnant with Carragher, despite doctors expecting him to be born with spina bifida.

[9] He spent a year at the Everton School of Excellence at the age of 11, but returned to Liverpool due to the club's superior coaching set-up under Steve Heighway.

[12] He helped Liverpool to win the 1996 FA Youth Cup with a 4–1 aggregate victory over a West Ham United side that included Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard.

[13] Carragher was tried out in defence for the first time during the tournament, and later admitted that Liverpool were not the most technically gifted side in the competition, but instead relied on team spirit and the outstanding talents of Michael Owen.

[13] He made his first-team debut for the "Reds" under Roy Evans in a League Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on 8 January 1997, coming on as a substitute for Rob Jones 75 minutes into a 2–1 defeat.

[17] Carragher broke into the first team in the 1997–98 season as Liverpool struggled to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester United despite having talented players such as Owen, Redknapp, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Paul Ince.

[18] Throughout his early playing career, he was essentially used as a utility player that spent time as a centre-half, full-back and defensive midfielder in a squad that was often negatively labelled the "Spice Boys".

[19] In his autobiography, Carra, Carragher admitted that "I always felt close to Gérard", and was full of praise for the French manager during the early part of his reign.

During a January 2002 FA Cup tie against Arsenal, Carragher threw a coin back into the stands that had been tossed at him and received a red card.

[26] From 2002 to 2004, Carragher sufferered two serious injuries, missing the 2002 FIFA World Cup for an operation on his knee, and later receiving a broken leg after a tackle by Blackburn Rovers' Lucas Neill at Ewood Park in September 2003.

[27] This season saw Carragher prove central to Liverpool's triumph in the UEFA Champions League, in particular when he made two vital last-ditch intercepts in the final in extra-time whilst suffering from cramp.

"I'd plummeted to the deepest pit of misery, only to instantly recover to ascend the highest of peaks... no footballer fancies a sneak preview of the most humiliating defeat in sporting history.

On 18 May 2009, in the match against West Bromwich Albion, Carragher was involved in an on-field clash with fellow defender Álvaro Arbeloa, and the two had to be separated by teammates Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger.

[36] On 4 September 2010, a mixture of Liverpool players past and present played an Everton XI in Carragher's charity fund-raising testimonial match.

On 7 February 2013, Carragher announced that he would retire at the end of the season, stating "It has been a privilege and honour to represent this great club for as long as I have and I am immensely proud to have done so since I was 9.

During the match, despite his sparse goal record, Carragher hit Robert Green's post with a 30-yard strike, before being substituted in the 87th minute to a standing ovation from both sets of fans and players.

[50] In January 2018, Carragher visited Kingsway House, a shelter which had been set up for rough sleepers by Liverpool hotel firm Signature Living.

He spent several hours talking to homeless residents and the volunteers and announced plans for a special charity football match featuring ex-Liverpool and ex-Everton players and celebrities.

[51] Carragher has worked with Liverpool fan Andy Grant, a former Royal Marine who was hit by a bomb in Afghanistan which resulted in his right leg being amputated, in helping to promote his story and his subsequent autobiography.

[58] Carragher, who had been brought on as a substitute for Aaron Lennon late in the game, scored with his first attempt but was forced to re-take his penalty by referee Horacio Elizondo, who had not blown his whistle.

[61] In his autobiography, he stated a number of reasons for his retirement: he prioritised Liverpool over England, he wanted to spend more time with his family, and most of all he was unwilling to feature as a squad player.

[63] Carragher said of his return to international football, "The FA got in touch a few weeks ago and asked if I would have a rethink, due to injury problems; I said I would make myself available.

When playing at full back Carragher was sometimes labelled as a "limited defender" as he compared unfavourably with attacking full-backs due to his lack of pace or notable technical skills.

A strong, versatile and consistent old-fashioned centre-back, who was known in particular for his work-rate, stamina, loyalty, leadership and commitment, as well as his courageous, no-nonsense and hard-tackling playing style, Carragher was gifted with organisational ability, intelligence, concentration, and tactical awareness, which enabled him to excel at reading the game, chase down opponents, and produce last-ditch tackles.

[77] Carragher signed a contract with Sky Sports for the 2013–14 season to appear as a pundit alongside Graeme Souness, Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp.

[83] On 11 March 2018, the Daily Mirror published a video showing Carragher spitting at a car carrying a man and 14-year-old girl after covering Manchester United's 2–1 win over Liverpool for Sky.

Peter Norrelund, CEO of Modern Times Group issued a statement, saying, "I do not think that a single mistake should have such serious consequences that we can no longer have Jamie Carragher on the team.

"[86] Carragher made a brief appearance on Sky Sports in July, giving an interview following England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia, before resuming his role as a football pundit in August 2018 for the start of the 2018–19 Premier League season.

[87] Carragher also became a part of CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage,[88] notably featuring with Kate Scott, Micah Richards and Thierry Henry in a show that achieved widespread critical acclaim.