By virtue of his family’s Maltese heritage – in particular, that of his great-grandfather, James Carragher made his first foray into international football recently for Malta, playing against Finland and Poland. But how did the 22-year-old perform?
His father, Jamie Carragher, is a bonafide Liverpool legend and is now best known for his made-for-consumption personality in the punditry world. During his playing days, Carragher senior plied his trade for England between April 1999 and June 2010.
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During that 11-year period, Carragher was sporadically used by a plethora of Three Lions managers – but his son, currently plying his trade for Wigan Athletic in England’s third tier, has not followed in his footsteps and, instead, opted for Malta.
In February 2025, the one-time League One winner was granted citizenship after the Maltese Football Association (MFA) contacted the versatile defender several months ago with a pitch, which was, without a doubt, considered a ‘no-brainer’.
Carragher’s Start to Life for the Malta National Team
The youngster picked up 180 minutes across two games
And so, James was in line to play for Keith Fenech and his entourage in their two 2026 World Cup qualifying encounters – and his father took time away from his punditry duties to be in attendance, looking on proud as punch.
Across both affairs, the young defender played a total of 18 minutes. On his debut, against Finland, he enjoyed plenty of possession, as evidenced by his Malta-best 98 touches, and a more-than-impressive pass success rate of 94% (85/90).
What’s more impressive is that he didn’t keep his ball playing simple at all: the youngster completed 12 of his 16 long balls and his combination of six clearances and 66% success rate in the air highlights that he was defensively robust too.
Albeit not as involved against Poland, Carragher still managed to get another 90-minute display under his belt on the international stage. He enjoyed 45 touches of the ball, an 83% (33/40) pass success rate, of which 11 were classed as ‘long balls’.
james carragher malta finland
There is, however, a slight debate over whether Carragher – who has, as of the end of March 2025, has accrued 30 appearances for the Latics in 2024/25 – should be allowed to represent Malta. Post-match, The Malta Independent wrote:
“The impact of the two new players in the squad for the match against Finland was undeniable: Malta may have lost, but it was the significantly better team, with Carragher solid at the back and Chouaref causing mayhem in the Finnish defence.
Carragher Jr on Playing Against Lewandowski
‘I just wanted to test myself against him’
Although Malta kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with two losses, it’s not unfair to say that Carragher’s presence was felt – but on the defender’s mind was facing Barcelona, and formerly of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, ace Robert Lewandowski.
“I was quite disappointed that he wasn’t starting,” he said, per The Times, before adding, “But when I knew that he was coming on, at least I could say that I played against him. Evern if he got past me or got the better of me, I just wanted to test myself against him."
James Carragher - Career Statistics
Club
Wigan Athletic
Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC
Oldham Athletic
Wigan Athletic U18
Malta
Carragher then analysed the Polish talisman’s game plan of dropping deep to receive the ball but also being in the six-yard box at every given opportunity – but, that said, he insisted that he played well against one of the best strikers in world football.
“He kept coming short for it, so his tough was still there, and then he was always in the box trying to score. He didn’t cause me a problem that much in behind, but he’s been one of the best strikers in the last ten to 15 years.
lewandowski
Carragher ensured to get his opposite number's shirt. “And I got a shirt after the game, so that was a good thing as well. We went down to ten men, about two minutes to go, and I’ve seen him walking towards me and I just looked at him and said, ‘Can I get your shirt?’
“He said ‘We’ll do it inside,’ so I waited inside. There were seven or eight players waiting and I got in front of them all. A few lads were not happy! It’s something I can look back on in years to come. I’ve got my own from the first game and then his one from the second game. I’ll frame it.”
All statistics per Sofascore and Transfermarkt – correct as of 28/03/2025