The Jamie Carragher story: Part one

May 25, 2005. It had just gone 11.15pm and Jamie Carragher was lying on the pitch of the Ataturk Stadium, heaving to catch his breath and trying desperately to ignore the pain that was being induced by cramp in his legs.

Those of a lesser, weaker disposition would have taken this as a sign to raise the white flag and look for a break; the idea of calling it quits, though, was alien to Carragher and a little pain would not end his inclusion in the biggest game of his life.

Liverpool, of course, had clawed themselves back from the brink in the Champions League final and Carragher was not going to miss a second of the dramatic battle with AC Milan; an education served on Bootle's Marsh Lane playing fields taught him never to give up.

It might have been different. Had Carragher's dad, Philly, not taken it as a personal affront that his then seven-year-old son had feigned injury to get out of a game Merton Villa were set to play in a hailstorm, maybe the teak-tough character everyone knows would not have formed.

As it was, the dressing down that reduced him to tears proved to be a seminal moment in Carragher's life; quitters never win and winners never quit may be a cliche but he soon learnt that it rang true.

"I needed to understand the value of pride, and to learn to deal with tough circumstances," Carragher recalled in his autobiography. "I knew the next time I played, no matter how demanding the situation, I wouldn't hide."

He has followed that mantra since; having grown up idolising all things Everton, dreaming that one day he might pull on a Blue shirt, Carragher's refusal to accept second best every time he has laced up a pair of boots has catapulted him into the ranks of Liverpool legend.

He will enjoy a richly deserved testimonial this Saturday and there is a delicious irony about the identity of the opponents, given that he used to turn up for training at Liverpool's Academy wearing an Everton shirt.

In those days, Carragher was a forward - Kenny Dalglish used to refer to him as 'Sharpy' - but it wasn't the inflammatory colours that made him standout; there was always a natural ability, leadership and drive which suggested he would go places - first of all to Lilleshall.

"When James' dad, Phil, told me he was having trials for the National School of Excellence, I told him it was a fantastic opportunity for him, one he should grasp if it the chance came along," Mile Dickinson, Carragher's PE teacher at Savio High, recalled.

"Back then when he was 14, there was nothing to him physically and James looked like a drink of water - very tall and skinny. But he had a natural instinct that would drive him on and that's why he flew through all those trials. Lilleshall was always going to be a beneficial experience."

Graduating from Lilleshall with honours, Carragher's Anfield journey really began in earnest in the mid-1990s, when the club was in a state of transition following Graeme Souness' turbulent spell as manager.

He was part of a youth set-up that included precocious talents such as Jamie Cassidy, David Thompson, Andrew Parkinson, Stewart Quinn and Michael Owen, and he played an instrumental role in the side which won the 1996 FA Youth Cup.

In the 14 years since, Carragher has collected all the major honours in football - bar one notable exception - and 38 England caps but, to this day, the victory over West Ham holds a special place in his heart.

Significantly, he knew it wouldn't be his last success in the game; that summer, he was promoted to the first team squad by Roy Evans - a manager never afraid to put his faith in kids - and within four months, Carragher was thrust into the big time.

Many tend to associate Carragher making his mark on Liverpool's first team with a goal - and a booking for a thumping challenge on a shell-shocked Andy Townsend - in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa but his debut came when he replaced Rob Jones in a League Cup tie at Middlesbrough.

Senior team-mates recall how he was never afraid to speak his mind or rattle into them in training games, and his hunger and desire to succeed impressed everybody at the club.

Yet to say he was always a popular figure on the terraces during those early years under Evans and then Gerard Houllier would be wide of the mark; no player gets judged more harshly than one who progresses through the ranks and Carragher often discovered that.

His versatility might have been popular with Houllier but the fact he was shuffled across the defence or used as central midfielder meant Carragher could never create his own identity with the fans - until he seized the left-back berth.

That he was able to do it in the middle of what proved to be the unforgettable treble season was an added bonus; it might seem a strange thing to say for someone who had been involved in the squad for so long but that was his breakthrough year.

Building on the confidence gained from pocketing winners' medals in the FA Cup, Worthington Cup and UEFA Cup, Carragher became a mainstay of the team which ran Arsenal close in the Premier League the following season and reached the Champions League quarter-finals.

Still, bizarrely, it wasn't enough for some and Carragher - having been shuffled to the other side pitch - found his role under a cloud once more and Houllier's signing of Steve Finnan in 2003 raised questions about his future in the starting XI.

Questions which became more valid after September 13 that year, when a dreadful tackle by Lucas Neill broke Carragher's leg, even though he tried to play on. It was another example of refusal to concede defeat.

A quality that could come in useful when he and Liverpool embarked on the most glorious journey of all.

TOMORROW: Part Two - The glory of Istanbul and beyond.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.