James Lee Duncan Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a central defender for Premier League side Liverpool. Carragher started his footballing career at the Liverpool Academy, making his professional debut in the 1996–97 season and becoming a first team regular the following season. He started off playing as a full back and evolved into a center back to accommodate the needs of the team. In 2001, Carragher gained his first senior trophies: the FA Cup, UEFA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield and European Super Cup. He was instrumental in Liverpool\'s 2004–2005 UEFA Champions League victory. Carragher was voted as Liverpool\'s player of the year at the end of the campaign. He later went on to captain the team in their 2005 UEFA Super Cup victory over CSKA Moscow. He was again voted as Liverpool\'s Player of the Year for the 2006–07 season by the fans and soon after extended his contract till 2011. The 2007–08 season saw Carragher reach his 500th appearance for Liverpool, where he was the captain of the match. Carragher recorded his 600th Liverpool appearance, on 19 December 2009, in a 2–0 away defeat to Portsmouth. Internationally, Carragher held the national record for most caps at under-21 level and earned his senior debut in 1999. He represented England at the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Cup. Though he announced his retirement from international football in 2007, he briefly came out to represent England at the 2010 World Cup.
