JAMIE CARRAGHER

Carragher has become one of the leading defenders in the top flight after over a decade of service with Liverpool and England. He progressed through the youth ranks at Anfield, made his debut for his hometown club during the 1996-97 season and has not looked back since.

The defender has managed to fill all of the positions at the back over the years and has often been a victim of his versatility. Having shifted from left-back to right-back, the signing of Steve Finnan in the summer of 2003 placed real pressure on him, but the following year he was moved into the centre and enjoyed a new lease of life for his club where he marshalled the backline to incredible success in the 2005 Champions League.

Making his full England debut in 1999, he missed out on the 2002 World Cup through injury and was mainly used as backup player in both the 2004 Euros and the 2006 World Cup, but he was never able to take control of the centre-back spot for his country. Carragher called time on his England career during the brief reign of Steve McClaren, but performed a U-turn to play in the 2010 World Cup.

Strengths: Passionate beyond the call of duty, a committed tackler who has excellent positional sense and can slot in at right-back.

Weaknesses: Pace has never been a great attribute of his and he has been caught out aerially as well.

Career High: Coming back from 3-0 down at half-time to win the Champions League in 2005. Barely able to walk afterwards, he gave everything to the cause.

Career Low: Carragher opted to a coin back into the fans against Arsenal in 2002. He earned a red card and a disrepute charge from the FA.

Style: Passionate, heroic, committed, a born defender.

Quotes: “Carragher had to think about it because when we started he said ‘no’. We tried to convince him four or five times because he is a leader on the pitch.” Fabio Capello on Carragher’s U-turn.

Trivia: Carragher has no navel due to having been born with gastroschisis.