Carra Day: The Day Of The Legend

"Hopefully Reds and Blues can
sit together and mix in the way
I used to do on the Kop as an
Everton fan"
- Jamie Carragher.
Legends return to honour
Carragher
A host of Liverpool legends
return to Anfield this weekend
to play in Jamie Carragher's
testimonial.
This Saturday, the Reds celebrate
Carragher's 14 years of service at
the club with a match against an
Everton XI, writes Claire Harmer.
Manchester United striker
Michael Owen, Fulham captain
Danny Murphy, Aston Villa duo
Emile Heskey and Stephen
Warnock are among the
Liverpool legends due to play as
well as Jerzy Dudek, Luis Garcia
and Steve Finnan.
All proceeds will be donated to
local charities, and with over
35,000 tickets sold the defender
is sure to leave a lasting legacy
for the local community.
In a match that could - for one
day only - unite a city so often
divided by football allegiances,
Carragher is delighted to be
playing Everton, the team he
supported as a child.
LOCAL RIVALS
The 32-year-old said: "Hopefully it
should be a great occasion, one
that the Merseyside public get
behind.
"Every single penny that gets
raised will be going to charity
and it would nice to see the
stadium full of families because
that is what the day is going to
be about.
"It's a huge honour to play for
Liverpool and I just want to try
and give something back."
And, as for the opposition -
Liverpool's fierce local rivals
Everton - Carragher has only
good things to say.
"Everton and David Moyes have
been brilliant from the very start,"
he said.
"Obviously Everton have only got
to cross over the park but they
never had any interest in
expense," Carragher revealed.
"Everyone knows I was an
Evertonian when I was a kid and
I just thought it would be
appropriate for the two teams in
my life to have a game of
football."
In the ultimate show of good
will, Carragher has opted to
donate £25,000 of the money
raised to the Everton Foundation.
He said: "I'm going to give
£25,000 to the club's charity and
being a local team the expenses
won't be as big so more money
goes to all the charities.
"Once the club mentioned a
testimonial to me, no matter how
we did it the money was always
going to go to charity.
"Hopefully it will be a game
where Reds and Blues can sit
together and mix in the way I
used to do on the Kop as an
Everton fan."
SELECT GROUP
After making 636 appearances
for the Merseyside club, 438 of
those in the Premier League,
academy product Carragher is
thoroughly deserving of his day
in the limelight.
One-club players are hard to
come by nowadays, with
Carragher part of a select group
along with the likes of team-mate
Steven Gerrard and Manchester
United rivals Ryan Giggs, Paul
Scholes and Gary Neville.
With players granted a
testimonial after 10 years of
service to a club, Carragher's is
four years overdue and come
kick-off at 2pm on Saturday,
Anfield is sure to be in full voice
as the Liverpool faithful finally get
the chance to show their
appreciation.
After graduating from the
Football Association's Lilleshall
School of Excellence, Carragher
signed for Liverpool's youth team
at the age of 12, playing
alongside other future Kop stars
Michael Owen and David
Thompson. He enjoyed the first
of many trophy wins as the
academy side romped to victory
in the 1996 FA Youth Cup final
against West Ham United.
ASTOUNDING VICTORY
Under first-team manager Roy
Evans, Carragher's big break
came in the 1997/98 season,
when he made 20 top flight
appearances.
Over the years, the defender saw
plenty of silverware come the
club's way. In 2001, under then
manager Gerard Houllier, the side
won no fewer than five honours
- claiming the Charity Shield, the
League Cup, the FA Cup, the UEFA
Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. A
second League Cup in 2003 was
followed by another FA Cup in
2006.
And although the Premier League
crown has eluded Carragher
during his time at Liverpool, he
can be proud to have played his
part in one of the most
astounding trophy wins in
Liverpool's glorious history.
The Champions League final
victory of 2005, where Liverpool
found themselves 3-0 down
against AC Milan at half-time only
to come back and win on
penalties, has been lauded as
one of the 32-year-old's best
ever performances.
Carragher's determination to
succeed spread through the rest
of the team. Playing on in to
extra-time regardless of terrible
cramp, he and club captain
Steven Gerrard inspired a turn
around that will live in the
memory of Liverpool fans for
generations.
And the man who always goes
the mile for the Liverpool cause
was rewarded for his efforts
when manager Rafael Benitez
handed him the captain's
armband for the 2005 UEFA
Super Cup final.
GREAT PERFORMANCE
Ahead of his testimonial, Gerrard
spoke of his belief that Liverpool
owed their Champions League
success to Carragher.
He said: "He played a massive
part in the Champions League
final and we certainly wouldn't
have won that trophy without
him.
"He put his body on the line for
the cause. When you win big
games and big trophies, a lot of
people point to the heroes who
score the goals but these things
don't happen unless defenders
are getting blocks in and battling
through the pain."
And fellow Liverpool legend
Robbie Fowler is in complete
agreement: "I think that night in
Istanbul epitomises what he is all
about. He was going down with
cramp every couple of minutes in
extra-time but he just kept
getting up and was determined
to see it through to the end.
"He put in a great performance
and some of his blocks and last-
ditch tackles were effectively
match-winning challenges in
hindsight."
BROKEN LEG
Carragher holds the club record
for the most appearances in
Europe, after breaking Reds'
hero Ian Callaghan's record of 89
back in 2007. He does however,
have a fair way to go before he
claims Callaghan's record of total
appearances. Having played for
the Reds between 1960-78,
Callaghan notched up an
impressive 857 outings. By
comparison, Carragher has
managed a mere 636 in all
competitions.
While he has enjoyed plenty of
success with Liverpool, he has
also had to overcome some
difficult situations too.
In September 2003, the England
international suffered a broken
leg in a tackle with Blackburn
Rovers full-back Lucas Neill. It
says a lot about the man that
before he was forced to leave the
field with the injury, he made a
decent fist of attempting to play
on regardless.
In his absence, the Liverpool
stalwart was greatly missed.
Rather remarkably, he was
offered a new contract by then
manager Gerard Houllier when
his leg was still in plaster.
SWEATED BLOOD
And under Benitez, a manager
often criticised for his policy of
squad rotation, Carragher was an
ever present in the 2008/09
season, as Liverpool pushed their
old foes Manchester United all
the way in the race for the
Barclays Premier League title.
Even for Benitez, the idea of
picking a team without the Kop
favourite seemed unthinkable.
His presence in heart of the
Liverpool defence has earned
Carragher praise from far and
wide, and as the testimonial
draws near, Liverpool stars both
past and present have been
queuing up to pay tribute to him.
Gerrard, who will be away on
England duty and unable to take
part in the testimonial says he
has the utmost respect for him.
"You tend to associate players
these days moving around a lot
but Carra is, in many ways, a one-
off and nobody deserves to
celebrate their career more," said
Gerrard.
"He has put so much effort in to
his career, has shown so much
desire and sweated blood for the
club.
"He's been a big influence on me
ever since I arrived at Melwood
on day one. I know I was closer
to 'Murph' (Danny Murphy) at
first and he was always with
Michael (Owen) but when they
left, we started rooming
together.
"I've got nothing but the utmost
respect for him as a player and
person. Carra has shown
consistently in recent years he
has been one of the best
defenders in the world.
"We can all have a laugh from
time to time about how high his
voice goes but he is a brilliant
organiser and leads by example.
He deserves to be called a
Liverpool great."
TRUE AMBASSADOR
And former Liverpool skipper Phil
Thompson has given him an
equally resounding endorsement.
"Carra has been a magnificent
servant for the club and he will
go down as a true legend," he
said.
"He's one of our own. A lad who
crossed the divide from being an
Evertonian to a Liverpudlian.
"Everyone knows his passion and
commitment. He's had some
difficult times over the years with
injuries and having to play at full-
back, but he's come through.
"And what stands him apart is
that he's been a true
ambassador not only for the club
but also for our city."
Former Liverpool midfielder
Dietmar Hamann who played in
the same team with Carragher
for seven years said: "There will
be a lot of fans out there who
can't remember the days when
Jamie Carragher's name wasn't
on the team sheet.
"He's always looking to have a
laugh and he's brilliant for team
spirit.
"If you look back over the past
five years he's been one of the
best centre backs in Europe
because he reads the game so
well and always puts the team
first.
GOOD MAN
And ex-manager Gerard Houllier
wishes more players possessed
the same fanaticism for the game
that Carragher does.
"There aren't many footballers
like Carra, Carra is a very, very
good player but most
importantly, he is a very good
man," said the Frenchman.
"Some people say they love
football but I don't think many
people love football quite as
much as Carra. Of all the players
I've managed, he is probably the
most fanatical about the game.
"The most important aspect of
his character, though, is that he's
a very loyal person. I could
always rely on him in football and
away from football."