James Carragher (footballer, born 2002)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Lee Carragher[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 November 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wigan Athletic | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2017 | Liverpool | ||
| 2017–2021 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Wigan Athletic | 23 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Inverness Caledonian Thistle (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | Malta | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:00, 15 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 21 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
James Lee Carragher (born 11 November 2002) is an English-Maltese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Born in England, he has opted to play for the Malta national team.
Early and personal life
[edit]James Lee Carragher was born on 11 November 2002 in Liverpool, Merseyside.[2] He is the son of the former Liverpool and England footballer Jamie Carragher.[3] He is of Maltese and Irish descent through his paternal grandparents.[4]
In February 2025, Carragher and his father received citizenship of Malta. He was entitled to the nationality through descent from Paul Vassallo of Qormi, his father's maternal grandfather.[5]
Career
[edit]After Carragher began playing football with Liverpool as an under-8 in 2011,[6] he joined the youth academy of Wigan Athletic in 2017.[7] Carragher captained Wigan's under-18s as they won the U18 Professional Development League in the 2020–21 season. He signed his first professional contract with Wigan on 4 August 2021.[8] He made his debut with Wigan Athletic in a penalty shoot-out win over Hull City in the EFL Cup on 10 August 2021.[9] He signed a new two-year contract with Wigan on 27 April 2023.[10]
Carragher joined National League club Oldham Athletic on 16 September 2022 on loan until 1 January 2023.[11] He made 6 appearances in all competitions during his loan spell.[2] On 10 January 2024, Carragher joined Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan until the end of the season.[12] He made his competitive debut two days later in a 1–0 loss at home to Dundee United.[13] He made a total of 20 appearances in all competitions as the club were relegated via the play-offs.[2]
Carragher made his league debut for Wigan against Crawley Town on 24 August 2024.[14] He scored his first professional career goal on 25 January 2025, heading in Wigan's opener in their 2–0 win against Bristol Rovers.[15]
International career
[edit]After Carragher obtained Maltese nationality in February 2025, Malta Football Association president Bjorn Vassallo said that they were considering the player for the national team.[5] On 14 March 2025, Malta called Carragher up for their World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Poland.[16][17]
On 21 March 2025, Carragher made his debut for Malta against Finland in a World Cup qualifying match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 0-1 loss.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played on 15 March 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2021–22[19] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022–23[20] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[21] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[22] | League One | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| Oldham Athletic (loan) | 2022–23[2] | National League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle (loan) | 2023–24[2] | Scottish Championship | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Career total | 42 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 62 | 1 | ||
- ^ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
- ^ Includes EFL Cup
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- ^ Appearances in Scottish Championship play-offs
References
[edit]- ^ "EFL Squad List: Season 2024/25". EFL. 6 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "J. Carragher: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Cooper, Barry (10 August 2021). "Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was at Hull City's Carabao Cup tie". HullLive.
- ^ "Jamie Carragher's son James receives first international call-up". JOE.co.uk. 15 March 2025.
- ^ a b Cummings, James (9 February 2025). "Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and son acquire Maltese citizenship". The Times of Malta. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Carragher happy to see son James sign for Wigan". Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics. 5 May 2017.
- ^ "Photo: Liverpool Legend Jamie Carragher's Son Signs Contract With Championship Side". Sports Illustrated. 19 July 2017.
- ^ "James Carragher signs first professional contract with Wigan Athletic". Wigan Athletic F.C. 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Hull City vs. Wigan Athletic – 10 August 2021". Soccerway. Perform Group.
- ^ "James Carragher extends Wigan Athletic contract". Wigan Athletic F.C. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "Youngster Carragher Joins On Loan". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Media, ICTFC (10 January 2024). "James Carragher signs for ICTFC on loan".
- ^ Skinner, Andy (15 January 2024). "James Carragher encouraged by Caley Thistle prospects after debut against Dundee United".
- ^ "Wigan Athletic 1–0 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
- ^ "Wigan Athletic 2–0 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 25 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com.
- ^ "Jamie Carragher will be proud! Liverpool legend's son receives international call-up... but not for England | Goal.com India". www.goal.com. 15 March 2025.
- ^ "Malta-Finland | European Qualifiers 2026 | UEFA.com". Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ "Games played by James Carragher in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Games played by James Carragher in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "Games played by James Carragher in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- ^ "Games played by James Carragher in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
External links
[edit]- Profile at the Wigan Athletic F.C. website
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Liverpool
- Maltese men's footballers
- English men's footballers
- Maltese people of British descent
- Maltese people of Irish descent
- English people of Maltese descent
- English people of Irish descent
- Men's association football central defenders
- Liverpool F.C. players
- Wigan Athletic F.C. players
- Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
- Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. players
- English Football League players
- National League (English football) players
- Scottish Professional Football League players
- 21st-century English sportsmen