Jamie Carragher has urged the current generation of professional footballers to postpone the idea of having children so they can “focus on their game without distractions”.
Carragher, who married his childhood sweetheart Nicola Hart in July 2005, has two children; a boy named James and a girl called Mia.
The former Liverpool star said he “loves” the fact his son has seen him play and cherishes the moment they celebrated together on the pitch after winning the 2012 League Cup.
However, he believes professional footballers, including his own son, should wait until they are 30 to have children so they can focus on their game.
Carragher shared his thoughts with Jamie CarragherIan Wright, Gary Neville and JJ Watt in the latest episode of Stick to Football, presented by sky bet.
Jamie Carragher has urged the current generation of professional footballers to postpone the idea of having children so they can “focus on their game without distractions”.
Carragher married his childhood sweetheart, Nicola Hart, in July 2005 (pictured together)
Carragher has two children; a boy named James and a girl named Mia (above)
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The former Liverpool star said: “I love the fact that my son hasn’t seen me play, he can remember going to the games and at the end, in a cup final, he was on the pitch. I think it was in 2012, towards the end of my career. It’s kind of nice to look back on. [on].
“But I always think that now, as a player, my advice to my children is to have children, not as late as possible, but until they are almost thirty.
‘Especially my son, who is now a professional footballer. You can really focus on your game without distractions, but it’s something I like: the fact that he’s seen me and remembers some games.’
Watt agreed with Carragher, stating that he left the NFL to be the “best father” he could be, as he felt that dividing his “time and energy” between the sport and his son would benefit no one.
‘I’m enjoying it a lot [life after the NFL]. I think I also partially planned it in my head because I heard a lot of former teammates and athletes talk about how hard it is.
“So I tried to set myself up for success by surrounding myself with the right people and also coming to terms with the fact that everything was coming to an end when it did.
The former Liverpool star said he “loves” the fact his son has seen him play and cherishes the moment they celebrated together on the pitch after winning the 2012 League Cup.
Watt agreed, stating that he left the NFL to be the “best father” possible, as dividing his “time and energy” between the sport and his son would benefit no one.
And I think being able to leave on your own terms makes it easier. I did it consciously. I certainly could have played a few more years if I wanted to, but I felt like when I knew my time was coming to an end, I didn’t want anyone else to tell me I had to leave. I wanted to be the one to decide.
‘[Having a son] It was a big part of why I retired for me. Being a father is a big thing in this world and I wanted to be the best father I could be.
“I know myself, I know how much time and energy I put into playing football and I didn’t want to have to make decisions every day: ‘Am I going to watch some more film or am I going to play in the play? With my son ?
‘I had my son mid-season last year, I played 10 games after he was born and I had 10 sacks in 10 games. He was really great. The game after he was born, I had two sacks and it was really special.”
Carragher’s son James signed his first professional contract with Wigan in 2021 before moving to Inverness on loan during the January 2023 transfer window.
Carragher’s son James signed his first professional contract with Wigan in 2021 before moving to Inverness on loan during the January 2023 transfer window.
James followed in his father’s footsteps and spent several years in Liverpool’s youth ranks before moving to The Tics in 2017.
Before signing his first professional contract, James captained the U18 team to glory in the Professional Development League.
However, James, who made his senior debut for the club in an EFL Cup clash against Hull City, struggled during the minutes.
As a result, the youngster left on loan after signing a new two-year deal with Wigan in April last year.
James, who is only 21 years old, will now finish the 2023-2024 campaign on loan at Inverness.