| Jamie Carragher |
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James Lee Duncan Carragher (born January 28 , 1978 in Bootle , Merseyside ) is an English international Footballer . He currently plays his club football at Liverpool F.C. . BIOGRAPHY Liverpool signed Carragher as an apprentice while in his teens, although as a boy he had been a supporter of their local arch-rivals Everton . Carragher was a member of Liverpool's FA Youth Cup winning team in 1996 - a side that also contained his good friend Michael Owen . He signed a professional contract in October 1996 and then made his first team debut 3 months later in the second leg of the Coca Cola Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough just three months later, coming on as a substitute for Rob Jones . Next came his Premiership debut again coming on a substitute against West Ham . He then started the next game against Aston Villa and marked the occasion with his first goal, scored in front of the Kop . He became a fixture in, and eventually the skipper of, the England U21 Team playing as a Defensive Midfielder . He is the joint record-holder for the number of caps won at this level (27). By the following season Carragher was a regular in the first team squad and by the 1998/99 campaign was considered a player of real promise - which led to his first full international cap on 28 April 1999 as a substitute against Hungary . Throughout his early years he was essentially used as a utility player, spending time as a Centre-half , right and left Full-back and Defensive Midfield . Because of this he would be deployed to fill in wherever there was a hole, ultimately harming his ability to hold down a first team position of his own. In 1999/00 he played mainly as a right-back, then in 2000-2001 he made the left-back position his own. By this time Carragher had become a firm fans' favourite for his determination, and "no-nonsense" style of defending. He hit the headlines in January 2002 during an FA Cup tie at Arsenal. A coin was thrown from the crowd, and Carragher opted to throw it back into the fans. He earned a red card and a disrepute charge from the FA. Carragher then missed out on the 2002 FIFA World Cup as he needed an operation on his troublesome knee, which was also expected to keep him out of the first two months of the 2002/03 season. By this time Carragher was back playing on the right following the signing of John Arne Riise . In summer 2003 it seemed that he might stuggle to hold down a first team place, as the more attacking Steve Finnan was signed to give the team a better balance. However, this battle for the right-back spot never came into fruition. A horrendous tackle by Blackburn's Lucas Neill in the Reds' fifth game of the season at Ewood Park left Carragher out of the game for six months with a broken leg, and sparked a war of words between Gerard Houllier and Blackburn manager Graeme Souness after Neill and his manager failed to apologise for the horror tackle. In the second half of the season, he made a terrific comeback making 24 further appearances. Carragher travelled with England to , but eventually ended up with no playing time, losing out to Ledley King when a vacancy opened up. The 2004/05 season was a personal high for Carragher. New manager Rafael Benitez moved him to centre-half where he managed 56 appearances alongside Sami Hyypia , forming what has become one of the best central defensive partnerships in Europe. Carragher's strength, positioning and never-say-die attitude proved instrumental in Liverpool winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League . Carragher was voted as Liverpool's player of the year at the end of the campaign. On Friday the 8th of July, 2005, he signed a new 4-year contract with Liverpool FC alongside his friend and teammate Gerrard. On 26 July 2005 during the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg, he scored his first goal in six years, and his third ever, in the 3-1 victory against Lithuania n champions FBK Kaunas . On August 26 2005, he lifted the UEFA Super Cup when Liverpool won against CSKA Moscow in Monte Carlo . Many football experts consider Carragher to be one of the best natural "out-and-out" defenders in England, although there have been doubts about his effectiveness going forward. Carragher has had over 400 first team appearances for Liverpool, more than any other player in the current Liverpool squad. Carragher is currently Liverpool's vice- Captain , behind teammate and fellow Liverpudlian Steven Gerrard . PRIVATE LIFE In July 2005 , he married his childhood sweetheart, Nicola Hart, with whom he has two children, James and Mia. Carragher has been awarded the freedom of his home town Sefton for his local charity work and the exceptional example he sets to the youth of today. {Link without Title} HONOURS Liverpool
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