Wigan Athletic talent James Carragher flying the flag for Malta with pride with long-term goals laid out
Although he always knew he was of Maltese heritage, Wigan Athletic talent James Carragher wasn’t sure if representing Malta’s national team was possible until he received a message last year.
The son of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, James was born and raised in England and has always been focused on carving his own path in the sport he loves.
But as it turns out, a small but meaningful link in his family tree opened an unexpected but exciting chapter in his career – one that now sees him proudly pulling on the red jersey of Malta on the international stage.
Speaking exclusively to the Wigan Post, Carragher admitted the opportunity to represent his heritage came by surprise.
“I’ve always had an affiliation with them,” he explained. “I always knew there was something there with my family in the background, but I didn’t know it was a case I could actually play for them.
"They got in touch around October or November last year, and I kept it quiet for a few months. But then, when the last internationals came, it was a chance to tell people at the club what was going on.
"I was buzzing with the games I’ve played. Some have gone well and some haven’t, but it’s just an unbelievable experience that you probably don’t get at club level with different experiences and different playing styles, so it’s all good.”
In February, James and his dad Jamie received citizenship of Malta. He was entitled to the nationality through his great-grandad, Paul Vassallo, who hailed from Qormi.
Carragher’s call-up came through official channels, though he still isn’t sure of how his name first came onto Malta’s radar!
“There must be a database somewhere, I’m not really that sure,” he said with a smile. “God knows – I think even my dad might have said in an interview years ago about a connection to Malta, so maybe whether that’s flagged up somewhere and they’ve just asked me.
"It’s (through) my great-grandad, my dad’s mum’s dad – I know, sounds mad! I didn’t think it would be possible, but I’m made up that it is.”
Whilst Carragher grew up in an unmistakably English footballing family – his dad Jamie won 38 caps for England between 1999 and 2010 – the pride Carragher Jr feels when representing his Maltese roots is clear.
"100 per cent,” he said when asked if pulling on the red jersey fills him with pride.
"There’s no denying that my family – my dad and my grandad – are English dominated, but not many players in League One will ever play for England, never mind in the Championship – so hopefully I can get to a good level one day, but right now, it’s just too good an opportunity to miss out on."
Carragher has won four caps for Malta so far and has missed out on a couple more due to a recent thigh injury that sidelined him for 10 weeks, but the experiences he has gained with the national team have been invaluable.
"Some of the games we’ve played, like Netherlands and Poland, and some of the trips we’ve had have been really good experiences,” he added. “I’ve missed the last two camps, which has been annoying because we’ve played two good teams in the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in the next camp it’s Poland and Finland. Hopefully, there’ll be two more good games.”
The Wigan academy product already boasts some remarkable memories from his short international career – one being when Malta came up against Poland, which saw a certain Robert Lewandowski come off the bench for the opposition.
“I was gutted he never started to be fair,” Carragher laughed. “I got his shirt at the end, though — I think I’ve told everyone that now! It’s still in my house – I just need to get it framed. I saw him warming up, and I was buzzing that there was a chance he could come on.
“There’d been a bit of talk before the game about whether he’d play or be injured, so I was gutted he didn’t start because people might be scared, but I was just buzzing I could play against these top players.”
That wasn’t the only star-studded encounter Carragher has faced whilst on international duty.
"When we played Netherlands, (Virgil) van Dijk, (Ryan) Gravenberch, (Cody) Gakpo, (Memphis) Depay — that was another really good experience.”
Like many other players in his position, Carragher has had to juggle club commitments with the demands of international travel. Having made his recent return from a lengthy spell in the treatment room, he is eager to link back up with Malta for their upcoming fixtures.
“I think it’s 99 per cent certain that I’ll be going away with them again,” he said.
“We play Exeter away and then it’ll just be a case of meeting up with them as soon as that’s done on the Sunday or Monday. I think we’ve got Finland first and then Poland. As soon as the Exeter game is done, I’ll be going away with them, and as soon as the Poland game is done, I’ll be coming back home.”
Representing Malta has given the 22-year-old the chance to experience a new type of football, and a new language, too.
“I think English is their second language, so it’s only the coaching staff that don’t understand me — they’re all Italian — but they’re getting better with their English,” he said.
“It’s only my second camp, and because I’ve missed two camps, I haven’t seen them for a good four or five months, so maybe that has improved a lot more. It’s good — all the lads speak English, so it’s just different cultures getting used to it. Sometimes you can feel on your own out there a little bit, but it’s just about learning to cope and seeing how you deal with it.”
Carragher admits one of the most eye-opening aspects of international football is how different it feels to club level.
“It’s a massive difference,” he admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s still 11 v 11, two goals, and you’ve still got to defend crosses, free-kicks and corners, but I’ll give you an analogy to sum it up — the two games when I first went, I think I went up for one header in the two games. Then, the next game for Wigan on the Saturday, I went up for six in the first half. That’s the best way to sum up how different it is. It’s a lot more tactical, moving side to side and reading the game, whereas at our level in League One it’s a lot more direct, with long balls and set pieces.”
For a small nation like Malta, qualifying for a major tournament might be a long shot, but the national side is determined to keep improving and climb the world rankings.
“I think it’s always going to be a struggle for us to qualify for a major tournament,” he admitted.
"We’re just a small island off Italy, but the plan the Maltese president presented to me was to get as high up the world rankings as possible. It was the first time they’d used foreign players — well, players with Maltese heritage who weren’t born there.
"There was a French lad, another from England, and since I’ve been injured, two or three more have come in — one Australian, one from England — so the more good players we can get, the better we are.
"I think it’s just about pushing these top teams as hard as we can and the best chance we’re ever going to get to a European Championship with obviously less teams in it from around the world, but I think the plan is just to get up the world rankings, and for me personally, just to try to get as many caps as I can and try to play as well as I can. I play for Wigan, and it’s the most important thing for me, but just getting these experiences that I can take into club level as well is massive.”
And with four Maltese caps already to his name at the age of just 22, Carragher is dreaming of many more in the years to come.
“It would be some achievement (to get 100),” the Liverpudlian said with a grin. “I’d like to think when I’m 33/34 they’d still want me, so I’d like to think so... Who knows where my career is going to go, but I’m on four, so 96 to go!”