Jamie Carragher Interview

With the new Premier League season off and running, we speak to Liverpool FC legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher to get his view on how the city’s two teams will fare and discover the local charities he’s backing and why

Words by Lawrence Saunders

Why did you feel it was important to give your support to The Oliver King Foundation and how delighted were you when it was announced that all state-funded schools in England will have a defibrillator by the end of the next academic year?

I got involved through Mark (King) really [because of] his enthusiasm, his passion and his fight. The story about his son is such a sad story [Oliver King, a pupil at King David High School, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest whilst taking part in a swimming race]. We had a couple of mutual friends, got in touch with each other, and it went from there. But I’m certainly not trying to take any credit away from Mark and his family. What The OK Foundation has done is absolutely outstanding. My high profile may have maybe helped in some way but the driving force behind this is Mark.

Once you get involved, you become emotionally attached and you’re trying to organise meetings with MPs down in London and it’s worked out well, you know, we finally got there. Big shout out to Nadhim [Zahawi], who said he’d get it over the line. We’ve had support from many different people including Lord Polak as well, who opened a lot of doors for us in Parliament. It’s been a real team effort, but at the forefront has been Mark and his wife, Joanne.

You are also involved with Football For Change (FFC) – a new initiative committed to changing the lives of young people living in the most deprived communities in the UK. Do the aims of FFC feel particularly close to your heart?

My own charity doesn’t have a gala dinner every year or a golf day, and I called it the 23 Foundation because I didn’t want it to have my name. I’m not big on people going: ‘look what I’m doing for charity’. If you’re in a fortunate position where you can help people because you’ve made money or you’ve got a bit of fame, I don’t think you should be ramming it down people’s throats. It’s nice to do things for people and if people want to give you a pat on the back, [that’s] nice, but I don’t think you should be telling everyone what you are doing.

I’ve never wanted to have the ‘Jamie Carragher Foundation’ or the 23 Foundation doing a big dinner every year. So the Football For Change initiative I really like because we can do something every year and it’s not my name. There are other people involved but obviously, I’m a big part of it. I think it could be really big and we can help people right across the country. Most footballers come from working-class backgrounds and I’m sure they want to give something back and I think we [as footballers] should.

Do you think Liverpool as a city could do more to support community-based sports clubs which can offer young people a positive outlet?

We do, but I think that comes down to central government doesn’t it? All this nonsense about ‘Levelling Up’ – it’s just absolute crap. I think my area Sefton asked for some money recently and was put in a category with a very wealthy area down south. If you think of the problems Sefton has got a the moment – certainly Bootle anyway. But of course, we need to [support community sports clubs in the city].

I remember my own childhood going to the Brunny (Brunswick Youth and Community Centre) – but I’m just not sure [enough provisions for young people] are available at this moment. This city loves sport, every type of sport, and we always produce great sportspeople – long may that continue but they need help and the city needs help from the government.

You’ve got over three and a half million social media followers and do occasionally share Tweets that some would consider of a political nature. Does it irritate you when you receive the inevitable ‘stick to football’ comments in the replies?

I’m in the opinion business and that [opinion] should more often than not be about football because that’s my supposed area of expertise (I want ‘supposed’ highlighting!). I’m no expert on politics and I’ve got no thoughts of wanting to be involved in anything like that in the future. I don’t like Boris Johnson and that’s why I was probably a little bit more vocal [about him] than others. But to be honest, I just try and have a laugh at politicians on social media rather than giving big, serious takes.

I’ve got a very simplistic view of politics – the Conservatives are for people who are pretty well off and Labour is for people who are struggling. That’s maybe a bit too simplistic. I’m not reading anyone’s manifesto or anything like that.

I’ll always be a Labour supporter [because of my background], even though it would probably suit me more if the Tories were in, I suppose. I’ll give the odd opinion but I’m probably out of my comfort zone [with politics]. I’d rather use my profile or social media platforms to help with things like The Oliver King Foundation.

The new Premier League season is now underway. How do you see the city’s two top-flight sides getting on?

I think Liverpool will be going for every trophy. They finished one point behind Manchester City last season and that can easily go the other way. The fact Van Dijk is now fully fit and raring to go, I think gives Liverpool a great chance. But it’s hard to say. I’ve tipped Liverpool for the league because I’m a Liverpool fan. You saw what they did last season – two games away from winning four trophies. They are a special team, they’ve got a special manager, and we’ve got to cherish them and just savour these three or four years before this team breaks up a little bit. But hopefully, this is a season to remember.

Everton? I was delighted they stayed up last season, I really was. I know there’s been a lot made of fans coming on the pitch, and we don’t want to see that, but I do think [the 3-2 win against Crystal Palace in May] was a special moment. I spoke to Frank [Lampard] and he told me it was one of the best moments of his career – right up there with winning the Champions League.

Unfortunately for Evertonians, they haven’t had much to cheer about [in recent years] in terms of going to Wembley or winning a trophy, so that will be a night they all remember. But I think it will be another tough season for Everton. If Frank gets them into the top half of the table, he’ll have done really well. They just need to get to the [new] stadium – I’m not saying they should write off the next couple of seasons but make sure you don’t get relegated, try and have a cup run, and try to get to this stadium in the Premier League.

It’s absolutely vital that we have two Premier League football teams in the city. We should be proud of the fact that we’ve got two big top-flight clubs and we want to keep it like that and get Everton into that new stadium because that’s going to be massive, not just for them, but for the city as well.

The World Cup takes place in Qatar this winter and the Premier League will be paused to accommodate it. Do you think it was the right decision to award the tournament to a country with little, if any, football heritage?

Qatar should not have the World Cup. It was corrupt [the way it was voted for] – we know that. I’m not saying different countries around the world shouldn’t have the opportunity to host the tournament, but a country with no history in football? The thing about moving the World Cup to the winter – I didn’t agree with it at the time, but the more I think about it, I’m really intrigued to see how it will go. Will it become something that we do every four years? The players might be fresher, the temperatures would be lower and it could lead to a better standard of football.

I’m being totally honest, I don’t think the World Cup is very good to watch – I think it’s boring. I thought it was amazing when I was younger but football has evolved in terms of how good the Premier League and Champions League are. So will the quality be better this World Cup now that the players will be fresher? Going into tournaments with England, I never felt great, that’s not an excuse, because I’m sure every other player is in the same boat, but I wouldn’t say it was an enjoyable experience playing in the heat at the end of a long season. I’d love the 2022 World Cup to be of better quality, with higher intensity than what you normally see, given the fact it’s in the middle of a season.

The Lionesses’ victory in EURO 2022 was cheered here in Liverpool as much as anywhere in the country. Why do you think England’s women’s team appears to have a broader appeal than the men’s side across the city?

I think it’s easy to work out really. Firstly, there’s not that tribalism between clubs in women’s football and hopefully, it never comes in. Also, I think the way we’re seen as a city by a lot of the country, even other football fans, [has a lot to do with it]. We [as a city] are almost looked down upon and then expected to come together with these fans and support England. Possibly the way the England fans behave [has got something to do with it] as well. When you look at the women’s game, it just seems so sort of joyous and family orientated – it just has a nicer feeling about it. It doesn’t have that real aggression and it’s something that everyone can be involved with.

Lastly, was there ever any awkwardness between yourself and Gary Neville when you both joined Sky Sports? You were not exactly best mates on the pitch!

No, not really. With a lot of players who you’ve had a bit of a grudge with – when you both finish playing, the barriers come down. I was very intense [on the pitch], and I know Gary was, but we had to play like that because maybe we weren’t as good as some of the superstars. When you’re playing, you don’t want to give someone an edge or let them know what your manager thinks of their team and so on. But you can talk about these things when you’ve finished because it doesn’t matter anymore.

I love working for Sky because [it means] I’m still a big part of the game. I know [Gary and I] are not everyone’s cup of tea, but a lot of that just comes down to tribalism and different fans thinking you’re against their team. I’m very lucky to still be involved in the game – a lot of people who had great careers in football have not been able to find a niche. When you finish playing at 35, you’re still a young man. It gives me something to focus on and get the juices flowing.

Jamie was photographed for YM Liverpool by Liam Deveney at Hope Street Hotel & The London Carriage Works