Jamie Carragher started a rivalry with returning Sidemen Charity Match star Joe Weller at Wembley Stadium.
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Ex-Liverpool defender and now TV pundit Jamie Carragher.
Ex-Liverpool defender and now TV pundit Jamie Carragher.
(Image: Getty Images)
The Sidemen Charity Match 2025 is taking place on Saturday afternoon with a collection of YouTube's favourite creators set to star. Unlike other events raising money for good causes no former footballers like Jamie Carragher are involved, while one of those personalities might be extremely pleased not to be meeting the former Liverpool defender once again.
Carragher retired in 2013 as Liverpool's second-highest-ever appearance-maker, accumulating a grand total of 737 only beaten by Ian Callaghan. The former vice-captain has since gone on to pioneer a secondary career in punditry offering his vast expertise - and sometimes strong opinions - for Sky Sports, CBS Sports and other similar platforms.
But his on-field legacy was not entirely halted when he hung up his boots on Merseyside. Over the years, the 47-year-old has gladly turned back the clock and competed in numerous charity events and testimonials.
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One of these events was the 2016 edition of the Wembley Cup. In that, many of those same internet personalities are now on track to play in front of 90,000 fans at this weekend's Sidemen Charity Match.
No former footballers are invited to that event - set up by British YouTube collective The Sidemen to raise money for BBC Children in Need and Bright Side - otherwise we may have at long last seen round two of Carragher vs Joe Weller.
The YouTube personality - with over five million subscribers on the platform - came up against the Liverpool hero at the Wembley Cup nine years ago. It would be fair to say, while he was only a few years out of the sport, at that point, he was in no condition to keep up with a spritely then-19-year-old given his big day out.
There was slight rivalry developing between the pair as Weller sought to get the upper hand, although Carragher put in some tough challenges and he resorted to the dark arts with one blatant swipe at his opponent. Raking his studs down the YouTuber's thigh, cameras clearly picked out the former player's name-calling after as he shouted: "Stupid little p***k."
He hadn't even made an attempt to jump for the aerial ball as he made that specific challenge - just to show how dangerous it could have ended up. Weller would go on to make a video called 'Footballer Attacks YouTuber' just days after, complaining: "When he [Carragher] did foul us, he didn't even say sorry or show an ounce of class. What are you doing? Just grow up," the YouTuber complained.
And in a typical Carragher response, he was asked about the clash in a video with Sky Sports a few months later. "He was just annoying me in the game," said the Liverpool favourite.
"I'd never heard of him, supposedly a big star on YouTube, he was acting the big star on the pitch, so I gave him a slap," the ex-Liverpool man said, before going on to issue the challenge: "I loved munching Joe Weller in that game and if I get a chance I'll be doing it again."
That was almost one decade ago, though. And with no chance to do battle between then and present day, their once-brewing rivalry has somewhat subsided.