Carragher: The club itself is the legend, not us
The former Liverpool stars preparing to play in Australia on Thursday may carry the name but it is the club itself that merits the title 'legend' according to Jamie Carragher.
Sydney’s ANZ Stadium is the venue for the Liverpool FC Legends as they take on the Australian Legends in a clash that can be watched live on LFCTV and LFCTV GO at 8.30am GMT.
Gerard Houllier will manage the team and has an enviable squad to choose from, including Steven Gerrard, Carragher, Robbie Fowler, Luis Garcia and John Arne Riise – to name just a few.
You won’t hear any of them describing themselves as a legend, however, and Carragher neatly articulated the sentiments of all involved when it comes to representing the Reds.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: “They’re things that supporters label different players and everyone has their own legend.
“I don’t think there’d be many disputing whether Steven Gerrard is one – he certainly is. It’s just nice to be involved. You call players ‘legends’ but it’s the club that’s the legend.
“We have all been very fortunate to play for the club, it’s the club’s name that goes around the world and is why we have so many supporters.”
Carragher added: “It’s a good squad. There are a few different shapes and sizes, I must say!
“A lot of the players were fantastic for the club when they were playing, proper professionals then. A few have let themselves go but we have got a few who have looked after themselves and hopefully they’ll carry the others!”
The Anfield icon, who made 737 appearances for Liverpool, was among the first to touch down in Sydney earlier this week, arriving late on Tuesday.
But a long-haul flight from Manchester was not going to stop him waking up early the following morning to watch the Reds defeat Stoke City in the opening match of their Capital One Cup semi-final.
“It was the first thing I thought of when I got to the hotel – how are we going to get the game on?” Carragher said.
“We watched it on the laptop, we were all crowded round urging the lads on. Everyone was delighted when the final whistle came because of the situation with the injuries.
“Thankfully, the lads did a brilliant job. It was a fantastic performance in the first half, I must say, they played really well and deserved the lead.
“With the injury situation, you thought Stoke would come back into the game but fair play to the lads and the manager, they did fantastic.”