Jamie Carragher: What they say
Some of the biggest names in the game have come forward to pay homage to Jamie Carragher over the last few weeks. Here’s the best of the rest of the tributes we've collated featuring current and former players, and opponents.
Joe Allen: "My first impressions when I first met him were everything I'd expected. He's got such an impressive career behind him - and when I joined the club, he was the inspirational player and professional I'd been expecting to meet. His knowledge is incredible and the way he reads the game is second to none. To have done it all with one club, it doesn't really get better than that. He's really set the benchmark for people to try and follow."
Brad Jones: "He's someone that leads by example. He's a leader on the pitch and doesn't like losing. Most of all for me, the thing you notice is he hates conceding goals. He's the complete defender. You know he is going to put his body on the line."
Stewart Downing: "He was horrible to play against. He was a tough defender - he'd let you know he was there! He was a great player over the years. His knowledge of the game is frightening. You can ask him about any player or any club and he'll know everything about them. He's a legend."
Lucas: "From the first day I came to Liverpool, I could see his leadership and he was a real strong character in the dressing room. He knew the passion of the fans and what this club is about. I will remember Carra as a strong character, a very loud player who really wanted to win no matter if it's a training session or in a game. He worked really hard and was really professional."
Jordan Henderson: "He has been a top defender for many years and just loves playing football and always wants to win. He is professional on and off the field and he'a a credit to everyone at Liverpool FC. For the younger lads it's great for us to look up at him."
Martin Kelly: "When I first met Jamie I thought he was everything a player playing for Liverpool should be. He played every game as though it was going to be his last and trained exactly the same. He has been a big influence on my career and has helped me through the games. He just loves Liverpool and he would die for this club and you need players like Carragher in your team if you want to win."
Pepe Reina: "It was a pleasure for me as a goalkeeper to have him in front of me. He is quite vocal and he helps you get the lads on their toes all of the time. Melwood will be a quieter place without him that's for sure. We will miss him. When you are a little bit down and you see him in training as hard as he does it's good, for the young players especially. He will be remembered as a legend and he has to be considered as one of the most important players in Liverpool's history."
Martin Skrtel: "He is just brilliant. I've been playing alongside him for five years which has been great for me as I've learned a lot of things and he's helped me in my career. He is a legend of Liverpool and I will miss him."
Raheem Sterling: "He was one of those characters that was there to lend a helping hand whenever you needed it. He was one of those players that would always help the young players and give advice. He would do anything to stop a goal - absolutely anything - and that's what you need from a defender. He put his body on the line to save goals."
Phil Thompson: "He embodies the spirit of the football club and there is a bond between the Kop and Carra. Sunday was a very, very special occasion for him."
Ian Rush: "He should be remembered as a true supporter, he could easily be in the Kop. The passion he gives on the pitch is frightening. The supporters see that in him and that song 'We all dream of a team of Carraghers' sums him up because no-one gives more passion on and off the pitch for Liverpool Football Club."
Steve McManaman: "He ranks very, very highly - he's a superstar. As a Liverpool great, he probably won't get the plaudits of Rush or Kenny because they're principally forwards and goalscorers, and Kenny has been manager and been successful. But he's certainly up there - one of the true Liverpool legends."
Dietmar Hamann: "You would probably have to put him in the top 10 of all-time greats because of his achievements, the medals he has won, the performances he has put into vital games and also off the pitch. Being in the top 10 of all-time Liverpool great players is some achievement if you consider the players the club has produced in the past."
Ryan Giggs: "If I was playing down the left wing and Jamie was playing right-back, I knew I was in for a tough game. He was a really intelligent defender. He was aggressive but good on the ball and a really tough opponent to play against. You knew you were going to be in a battle and it was always a test. You knew you had to be at your best when you were playing against him. It's a massive loss to Liverpool."
Jason McAteer: "It's difficult to describe the sort of commitment he has shown because it's just so good. It's hard to put into words and context what Jamie actually achieved. It's unbelievable. To be so consistent for that amount of time is brilliant. His reading of the game was absolutely fantastic. He wasn't the biggest - and it's probably fair to say he wasn't the quickest - but he was five yards quicker than everyone else in his head."
Sammy Lee: "I will remember him as our No.23. Maybe the number should be retired. For me Jamie Carragher epitomises Liverpool FC at its best. I wouldn't like to say Mr Liverpool but whenever anyone talks about Liverpool Football Club in the future they will mention Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish, Souness, Rush and for me I'd have to say Jamie Carragher should be mentioned in the same breath. I can pay him no greater honour than that."
Ronnie Moran: "I was working with the first team when Jamie came into the team and I remember saying to someone he was going to be better in the centre-back position because he had a big heart and knew the game. I used to watch him in the reserves and the youth team before that all of the time and you would always ask the other coaches about him. He wasn't a coward and he would tackle anybody. He'd be a good manager, easy."
John Aldridge: "As centre-halves to have played for us go he has to be No.1. We have had some great players like Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson, Ron Yeats, Alan Hansen, Sami Hyypia, Mark Lawrenson and Gary Gillespie but for the amount of games he has played you have to say he has been the best. He's not too many games behind Cally and he's right up there with the top men who have played for Liverpool. He was a winner and had a heart twice the size of anyone else's. I'll always remember Jamie for the game in Istanbul. He was unbelievable that night."
Gary Gillespie: "The performance level shown for the amount of time he has been at Liverpool Football Club has been fantastic. Liverpool fans always want and always expect 110 per cent and Jamie has never let them and anybody down. He has been Mr Liverpool along with Steven Gerrard. Jamie has played a major part in the football club's history."
Stephane Henchoz: "Jamie is a passionate guy. I always remember my first training session at Liverpool and he was shouting, screaming and always wanting to win. He was a leader. Jamie was a proper defender for me. In Istanbul Carra was at his best. He was covering for everybody and that night he showed every attribute. He was a top professional and someone the kids can look up to. Any young kids who want to become a professional should look at Jamie."
Rob Jones: "He gave his life for Liverpool Football Club. His passion for the game and for Liverpool was unbelievable. It's a shame to see him retiring but I suppose at some point it does have to come to an end. For all young lads - and my young lad loves football - I just tell him to keep your eye on Jamie Carragher because that's who you aspire to be."
Ian St John: "Jamie is second in our all-time appearance list behind Ian Callaghan and we thought no one would get close to Cally. That was a good attempt wasn't it? The good thing is like Cally he is a local boy and not one manager he played under at Liverpool would have a bad word to say about him. If we had had more Carragher's in our team we might have got a bit more success."
Tommy Smith: "Jamie reminds me a little bit of me to tell you the truth because I could not play a game of football without shouting at people! His performance in Istanbul - they will talk about that for years and years."
Ron Yeats: "He's had a wonderful career, no doubt about that, and a lot of medals to prove it as well. I liked him in the team because you knew what Carragher was going to do, making tackles and winning balls. His performance in Istanbul was unbelievable."
Hughie McAuley: "He's made a massive contribution to everyone involved at the football club to supporters all around the world, particularly supporters on Merseyside, and goes down as one of the all-time greats and lives comfortably with the great centre-halves of the great teams of the past."
A new documentary featuring Carragher's managers, teammates and some high-profile opponents airs for the first time at 7pm BST on Friday, May 24 on LFC TV.
