Jamie Carragher

"There may be more skilful players in the squad, but no one can ever say I don't give 100%," Carragher said himself. Carra is a scouser whose fighting capabilities and sense of humour has endeared him to supporters and teammates alike. He became the rock at the heart of the Liverpool defence. He excelled both on domestic and European level, leading the charge to Jerzy Dudek's goal following his penalty save from Shevchenko in Istanbul even though Carragher had suffered from agonising leg cramp in extra-time. It was Roy Evans, in his penultimate full season as sole manager, who gave the soon-to-be 19-year-old his first-team debut in January 1997, as a substitute for Rob Jones in a League Cup tie at Middlesbrough. It was a debut that had been expected for a while because Carragher’s presence had been carefully monitored through his days at the Football Association’s School of Excellence at Lilleshall and as a member of Liverpool’s successful Youth Cup-winning team of 1996. His first start was marked in fine style by heading in a left-wing corner in front of the Kop to set his team on the way to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Anfield. Goals for Liverpool have come rarely for Carragher and this was one of the highlights of his career: "I knew the night before, I was down to play at centre-half but Bjørn Kvarme's clearance came through before 5 pm that night but I didn't realise. I wouldn't have been playing only that Patrik Berger was sick that night, so there was a place and I was moved into midfield. I was a bit nervous, but it was more excitement really. I got booked after 20 seconds, that calmed me down."

Carragher became a more regular member of the team with 20 first-team appearances from the start and three more as substitute in the disappointing 1997/98 season. Once Gerard Houllier had taken over following the departure of Roy Evans towards the end of 1998, he put his complete faith in the Bootle boy who became a key player for the Frenchman for the rest of his reign at Anfield that reached its zenith in the historic ‘Treble’ season of 2000/01. Carragher wasn't though to everyone's taste as he himself recognised. "I don't go on the websites or anything but I believe there's murder there after a game if we have got beaten. But I'm not kidding people, if the team were to get beaten then I know I'd be one of the first to get criticised!" His number of appearances only dipped once below 50-a-season for Houllier but his absence was excusable as he broke his leg at Blackburn's Ewood Park on 13 September 2003 which kept him out for four months. Carragher's versatility as a defender proved to be absolutely vital for him as he held his ground despite many attempts by newcomers to push him out of the first eleven. He could adapt to any given situation which has proved ultimately the foundation for his long and successful career. He established himself as the team’s regular right-back before moving to the left when Markus Babbel arrived at the club. Houllier's successor, Rafa Benítez, saw Carragher as an ideal centre-half and in the Spaniard’s first two seasons in charge that ended with victories in the Champions League and the FA Cup, he made 56 and 57 first-team appearances respectively. His performances defied belief as Alan Hansen noted following Liverpool's monumental win over Chelsea in the semi-finals at Anfield in May 2005: "The way he held Chelsea at bay was unbelievable. I'm sitting there in awe of how many times he intercepted, blocked and covered."

Carragher scored an own goal in the 2006 FA Cup final and they have come more readily for him than actually scoring for his own team as Steven Gerrard pointed out lightheartedly: "Carra is the best defender I've played with at Liverpool and the worst finisher I've ever played with!" Carragher has managed to put the ball eight times into his own net, including twice in the same game against Manchester United in September 1999. It’s probably an inevitable part of a defender’s life that he will sometimes unwittingly make the crucial contact or deflection that can prove costly. The number of goals Carragher has prevented by his last-ditch tackling and self-sacrifice for the team far outweighs any "damage" he may have done. Benítez emphasized Carragher's importance to the team in March 2007: "For me, Jamie is one of the best defenders in Europe. He is always focused on the game, always trying to learn. That is the key for me because each season he improves a little bit. He reminds me of a hunting dog, when I want something specific done in defence he is very willing to learn. He is always shouting and talking to others. He is good for the young players, showing them what to do and how to play."

A couple of nasty injuries restricted Carragher to playing in only 38 of the team's 54 first-team matches during the 2010/11 season. He enjoyed a well-deserved testimonial at Anfield in September 2010 when a mixture of Liverpool players past and present played an Everton team with all proceeds from the game going to local charities through the Carragher 23 Foundation. Carragher appeared in 60% of the club's first-team matches in 2011/12 but only 21 Premier League appearances was his lowest total since the 2003/04 season. He became 34 years old during the campaign and it became clear that he was no longer an automatic choice. Since Brendan Rodgers arrived at the club he has emphasised Carra's importance to the squad. "Jamie has been an absolute model professional. I feel we are a quiet team, and maybe we've needed players who can organise and manage inside the game. You need a voice in your team, and you don't get a louder voice that Carra's!"

At the end of the first week of February Carragher announced that he would be retiring as a player at the end of the 2012/13 season. He only missed one match from the date of that announcement until the end of the season and made an emotional farewell as captain in Steven Gerrard's absence when Liverpool played at home to Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season. Having scored on his home debut against Aston Villa back in January 1997, Carragher nearly bowed out in similar style when a second-half drive crashed against the QPR post. But as he only averaged one goal every one hundred and forty-seven Liverpool matches, it is more the goals he prevented that will be remembered at the end of a truly outstanding playing career. He will be badly missed, especially because at the time of his retirement there was no obvious long-term successor to his position from others still at the club.

Carragher had a historic career at Liverpool. He made his 137th European appearance for Liverpool in March 2011, a British record at the time although he was subsequently overtaken by Ryan Giggs. On 9 May 2011, he overtook Emlyn Hughes and Ray Clemence in making his 666th competitive appearance for the club, leaving just Ian Callaghan ahead of him in the club's all-time appearance list. A remarkable feat!