Jamie Carragher's son - Wigan Athletic defender James - played international football for Malta on Friday night as they were beaten 1-0 by Finland.
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Jamie Carragher on punditry duties.
Jamie Carragher on punditry duties.(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has sent an emotional message to his son, James, after he made his international debut for Malta on Friday night. James Carragher, 22, who gained Maltese citizenship through his paternal grandfather last month, was handed his first start for Malta after a switch from England, putting in a fine performance at the heart of defence.
While James would have been disappointed as Malta lost 1-0 to Finland, it was a "proud" night for the Carragher family. Ex-Liverpool and England ace Jamie travelled to Malta with his wife, Nicola, to watch James in action and cut a joyful figure after the match.
In fact, Jamie took to Instagram to share his emotion after watching James. Alongside an image of him, James and Nicola, Jamie said: "I'm very proud of [James] on your international debut. Didn't deserve the loss, son," alongside a fingers crossed emoji and a red love heart eyes emoji.
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Malta are next in action whey they travel to Poland in their second World Cup qualifier on Monday night. Though Malta, who are ranked 168th in the world, are not expected to be competing for qualification, they will be hoping to get a point, at least, on the board after their first two fixtures in the competition.
James, meanwhile, is expected to return back to Wigan Athletic after Malta's match vs Poland. James has enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season at the Latics after spending time out on loan at Oldham Athletic and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, making 30 appearances across all competitions.
Before joining up with the Malta national team, James had started three successive League One matches for Wigan. And due to international call-ups within their squad, Wigan's visit to Burton Albion was postponed on Saturday. They are back in action when they host Barnsley at the Brick Community Stadium.
After their 2-1 defeat against Premier League side Fulham last month, Shaun Maloney, who has since been sacked as Wigan's head coach, praised James. He said: "From a defensive point of view in particular against Fulham he was very good. He's got a brilliant attribute of really sensing danger.
"I've been really happy with him in the last week. I think there’s still lots more to come from Carra.
"He needs to keep pushing because he's keeping out Will Aimson at the moment. He's been excellent for us."
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