James, the son of Jamie Carragher, has been called up for the first time ever, but not for England. After a strong season with Wigan Athletic, he was chosen by an unexpected country. Carragher senior, regarded as one of the best center-backs in Premier League history, spent his entire career with Liverpool in the top division, winning a few trophies, including the Champions League, and earning numerous international caps for the Reds.
From his first appearance in 1999 until his last cap with England in 2010, he played for the Three Lions 38 times. He was part of the team for three important international competitions, but his son has been called up for Malta, so if he wants to have a similar career in international football, it won’t be with England.
Carragher Will Play For Malta
He’s eligible through his great grandfather
It was revealed in February 2025 that Carragher’s great-grandfather’s lineage had earned him Maltese citizenship. He has now received an official call-up to play for the nation in their next international tournament. The centre-back was born and reared in Liverpool, the city his father had played for for many years.
He began his professional football career by joining the Liverpool academy in 2011 and played for the team for six years until joining Wigan Athletic in 2017. He has played with the Latics his whole senior career, with the exception of loan stints with Oldham Athletic in 2022–2023 and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2023–2024.
He made his debut with Wigan during this campaign, though, and has since established himself as a vital member of the first squad, appearing in 22 League One games. His first-ever international call-up was a reward for his performance with the team, and he will continue to play for Malta. The president of the Malta FA, Bjorn Vassallo, spoke in February following the Carraghers’ citizenship in the nation. He discussed the 22-year-old’s prospects of playing for Malta and remarked, in words obtained by talkSPORT:
“For the past few months, we have been in communication with James and his father, Jamie. We are still working on it, but he seems amenable to it.
He was called up to the Malta national team a month later, although it remains to be seen if this marks the beginning of a lengthy international career.
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