Jamie Carragher grew up a dedicated Everton fan
Jamie Carragher confessed that he turned up to his Liverpool trial donning an Everton kit, attributing his wardrobe choice to sheer desperation.
The Reds icon is well-known for having grown up as a Blues supporter, along with his family, but as we all know, his destiny lay at Anfield. The 46-year-old, who regularly appears on the Stick to Football podcast, was a special guest on the show in October, where he discussed his football career with Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Paul Scholes.
The ex-England defender delved into his childhood passion for Everton, who he ardently followed both home and away before joining Liverpool at age nine. However, his allegiance to the Toffees remained unshaken.
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He candidly shared the circumstances that led him to attend his Liverpool trial in an Everton kit, explaining it was simply because he had no other option.
Carragher said: "The first team I played for was my school's football team Bootle boys. The scouts would come and watch Bootle boys, Liverpool boys, Wirral boys and the best players would get picked to play for Liverpool," reports the Liverpool Echo.
"I can still picture it now we were in the dressing room of a school in Bootle on Friday. Four of us went down to Liverpool but I was a massive Everton fan! When people ask why I wore my Everton kit it was the only kit I had! I didn't have another kit. Everyone wore their own stuff and threw bibs on."
The 46-year-old made 737 appearances for Liverpool
Carragher confessed to Neville that his affection for Everton only started to wane when he made it into Liverpool's first team in 1996. He added: "[On when he stopped being an Everton fan] When I was in the Liverpool first team I was still a fan in the youth team.
"We won the Youth Cup, and the next season it went from three to five subs. The first game of the season, Liverpool were away at Middlesbrough the day that Fabrizio Ravanelli scored a hat trick on his debut for Middlesbrough, and I was on the bench.
"It was also Alan Shearer's first game for Newcastle that day but it was at Goodison Park. Everton were leading 2-0 at half time. I was warming up at half-time, I spotted my dad in the crowd, so I signalled 'It's 2-0! ' Even my dad agreed that after that it had to stop."
A pointed comment from a legendary figure in Liverpool's history prompted Carragher to significantly dial down his enthusiasm for the Blues. "Before that, Ronnie Moran had pulled me and the youth coaches," he revealed. "We were playing for Liverpool reserves, and Everton were playing a replay against Stockport in the FA Cup.
"Stockport score, and everyone cheered 'Get in', and then Everton scored, and I shouted 'Get in'. Even the youth team coaches pulled me aside and told me to calm down.
"How could I possibly still be an Everton fan if I was playing for Liverpool? What Liverpool have done for me and my life my family, the trips, the memories - how can I not be a Liverpool fan?"
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