The Jamie Carragher story: Part two

Break a leg. It is a phrase that is associated with wishing people well but there was nothing so lucky when it happened to Jamie Carragher for real at Ewood Park.

Flattened by a dreadful tackle from the Blackburn Rovers defender Lucas Neill, Carragher initially tried to run off the injury he sustained in September 2003 and though he smiles about that now, back then it was no laughing matter.

Having finally established himself as a mainstay of Liverpool's defence under Gerard Houllier, the timing of this break could not have been worse and it could have plunged his position back into doubt.

In some ways, however, the unexpected, unwanted spell out of action proved to be a blessing in disguise. With time on his hands to observe and reflect, this keen student of the game was able to think of ways in which he could reinvent himself.

What's more, absence made the heart grow fonder - supporters began to see him in a different light, missing his spirit, fight and enthusiasm.

Houllier, more than anyone, lamented his spell on the sidelines. There is no disputing the esteem in which the Frenchman held Carragher and during what proved to be a winter of discontent, he would have done anything to be able to select him.

That point is best illustrated by the fact Houllier offered Carragher a new contract while his leg was in plaster and always took the opportunity to speak about him in glowing terms.

Unfortunately, while Carragher's refusal to take second best ensured he got back in the thick of things earlier than expected the team to which he returned was in a state of flux.

Though Liverpool eventually clambered into a Champions League spot, by the end of the 2003-04 campaign it was patently obvious that change needed to be made at Anfield and it would prove to be a seismic summer.

Predictably, Houllier's six-year reign ended, while Carragher's best friend Michael Owen, also headed for pastures new but, significantly, Steven Gerrard stayed and Rafael Benitez arrived from Valencia.

If Houllier set Carragher on the road to becoming one of the Premier League's top performers, the advent of Benitez's managerial career on Merseyside was the catalyst for him to become a truly world-class performer.

"I've played the finest football of my career under Rafa," Carragher concedes in his autobiography. "Every training session has included advice on how I can improve my game."

With Benitez deciding that Carragher would be best suited by playing in the centre of his defence, he took his form up another level - while the manager tended to rotate his players, No 23 was never rested.

For the first three years of Benitez's tenure, Carragher was one of the most consistent central defenders in the world.

Just think about the glorious run to Istanbul. The closer Liverpool got to the Champions League final, the more Carragher played as if he was on a personal crusade to win the greatest prize in club football.

Never was he any better than on one magical night in May 2005 when, incredibly, Liverpool booked a showdown with AC Milan in Istanbul on the back of a team display against Chelsea that screamed defiance.

Carragher was outstanding - watch the footage of it again and you will hear ITV's main commentator Clive Tyldesley screech "what a tackle by Jamie Carragher!" - but, perhaps, he surpassed it in Istanbul.

It might seem odd to sing the praises of a defender when the team they represent was totally outplayed for 45 minutes, conceded three goals and might have shipped a few more but on May 25, 2005 Carragher produced his definitive performance.

Penalty hero Jerzy Dudek, more than, anyone, appreciated what was at stake; when he allowed a ball to squirm from his grasp, Carragher was on hand to issue a rollicking

Before the fabled shootout, he raced over to Dudek and recounted the tale of Bruce Grobbelaar in Rome 21 years earlier, waving his arms and shaking his legs, telling him to do all he could to win the battle of wits.

He was immense and no amount of pain was going to stand in the way of his date with destiny; cramp might have done its best to bring him to his knees but, perhaps, the lesson learned after that infamous Merton Villa game was dragging him on.

"The additional 30 minutes were the most tense, strenuous, but ultimately rewarding I've ever spent on a football pitch," he recalls. "Courage, character, willpower and grit - these are virtues that have been instilled into me since I was seven years ld."

They are virtues that have given him a career from the realms of fantasy; when the time comes for Carragher to hang up his boots, he will look at a medal collection that stands comparison with any Anfield great.

Aside from that, there will be memories of leading his team out to win a trophy - he was skipper for the 2005 European Super Cup final - and more than likely, Carragher will find only Ian Callaghan has made more appearances for the Reds.

A giant of the modern game thanks to values that came from a different era, his story will be told forever more. Knowing him, though, he will be intent on adding a few more chapters - Saturday's testimonial, after all, does not signify the end.

In fact, with a new manager and new challenges in the squad, ask Carragher what the future holds and he will tell you this - a new adventure is just beginning.

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