James Carragher (footballer, born 2002)

James Lee Carragher (born 11 November 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Wigan Athletic. Born in England, he plays for the Malta national team.

Early and personal life

James Lee Carragher was born on 11 November 2002 in Liverpool, Merseyside. He is the son of the former Liverpool and England footballer Jamie Carragher. He is of Maltese and Irish descent through his paternal grandparents.

In February 2025, Carragher and his father received citizenship of Malta. He was entitled to the nationality through descent from Paul Vassallo of Qormi, his father's maternal grandfather.

Career

After Carragher began playing football with Liverpool as an under-8 in 2011, he joined the youth academy of Wigan Athletic in 2017. Carragher captained Wigan's under-18s as they won the U18 Professional Development League in the 2020–21 season. He signed his first professional contract with Wigan on 4 August 2021. He made his debut with Wigan Athletic in a penalty shoot-out win over Hull City in the EFL Cup on 10 August 2021. He signed a new two-year contract with Wigan on 27 April 2023.

Carragher joined National League club Oldham Athletic on 16 September 2022 on loan until 1 January 2023. He made 6 appearances in all competitions during his loan spell. On 10 January 2024, Carragher joined Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan until the end of the season. He made his competitive debut two days later in a 1–0 loss at home to Dundee United. He made a total of 20 appearances in all competitions as the club were relegated via the play-offs.

Carragher made his league debut for Wigan against Crawley Town on 24 August 2024. He scored his first professional career goal on 25 January 2025, heading in Wigan's opener in their 2–0 win against Bristol Rovers.

International career

After Carragher obtained Maltese nationality in February 2025, Malta Football Association president Bjorn Vassallo said that they were considering the player for the national team. On 14 March 2025, Malta called Carragher up for their World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Poland.

On 21 March 2025, Carragher made his debut for Malta against Finland in a World Cup qualifying match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 loss.