Jamie Carragher has named his all-time Liverpool XI and controversially he has only selected two of his former team-mates.
After progressing through Liverpool’s youth system, Carragher made his first-team debut in January 1997 and remained at the club for 16 years until being released in 2013.
The one-club man played with some elite players, winning three League Cups, two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup and most famously the Champions League during his time at Anfield. But he ignored a number of his old team-mates when picking his XI and only had room for two of Arne Slot’s current squad.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky BettingCarragher started with his goalkeeper and four defenders, while his left midfielder was also an easy choice, as he said: ‘I would go for Ray Clemence, just above Alisson [Becker]if only because he has won so many trophies.
‘Right back, Phil Neal or Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. Steve Nicol could do a job for me at left back – when you think of players who have played for AC Milan and won the European Cup four or five times and we say ‘wow’, [same with] Players from Real Madrid and Barcelona – Neal won four European Cups – it’s unbelievable. At the end of Trent’s career I’ll probably say Trent, but I’ll go with Neal because he won four European Cups.
Jamie Carragher has named his all-time Liverpool XI on the Stick to Football podcast
Current Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was chosen by Carragher
John Barnes took over as left midfielder, while Carragher previously said he is the best technical player he has ever played with
‘I would go for Virgil van Dijk and Alan Hansen – that would be a great partnership [at centre back]Andy Robertson may enter the equation, but Liverpool don’t have a history of incredible left-backs – even when they were successful.
‘I’m going for Nicol at left-back, he had a great combination with the man ahead of him who’s going to play, John Barnes in that team in the late 80s. Nicol was a player who was a bit like me – right-back, centre-back, left-back, but he was so good for Liverpool.’
Carragher’s choice of Barnes comes as no great surprise, with the Liverpool legend having raved about the winger since he was promoted to the first team when Barnes was in his final season at Anfield.
Carragher previously said of Barnes: ‘Technically he’s the best player I’ve ever trained with or played with, he was great with both feet, they were both exactly the same. I’d say he’s the best finisher I’ve ever played with.
‘Barnes never shot hard – they just ended up in the corner. If you talk to players from those great Liverpool teams and ask them who the best player they played with is, they all say John Barnes.’
Carragher opted for the rest of the midfield and introduced his second former team-mate: Steven Gerrard. He also couldn’t ignore Mo Salah.
Graeme Souness was the preferred choice in midfield after being part of Liverpool’s golden era in the 70s and 80s
Carragher’s former teammate Steven Gerrard was named alongside Souness in midfield
Mo Salah was the second member of Arne Slot’s current squad to make it to Carragher’s team
‘Graeme Souness should be in midfield, alongside Steven Gerrard,’ Carragher continued.
‘On the right there are two options. Before Mo Salah came to the club, Ian Callaghan. He is the only player who played more games for Liverpool than me. He played 860 games and won the second division with Liverpool and one of his last games was the European Cup final in 1977.
‘So you think about the journey you have to make as a player in the second division, as a local player, but Mo Salah has to play on the right side.’
Liverpool have had a number of iconic attackers over the years, with Carragher playing alongside the likes of Michael Owen, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez.
But none of them made it to the finish line. He chose Kenny Dalglish, but preferred Ian Rush to Suarez. Carragher admitted the Welshman had moved him to tears with his goals against Everton when he was a young boy supporting the Toffees.
‘Kenny Dalglish must play [up front] and Ian Rush goes in because of what he’s won,’ Carragher said.
‘If Luis Suárez had won the league with Liverpool – he won one trophy. If he had won a league title and a European Cup, I would have put Suárez there.
‘But think what Rush did in that cup final against Everton – I cried on the way back!’
Jamie Carragher spoke at Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Betting