Jamie Carragher sends emotional 13-word message to his son after Wigan ace makes international debut

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Malta got their World Cup qualification underway on Friday night as they hosted Finland in the Ta’Qali National Stadium, as James Carragher made his international debut.

While there is no serious expectation that the Mediterranean island will qualify for their first-ever World Cup, the home fans will be disappointed to watch their side lose 1-0 to Finland.

The Maltese fought bravely and will believe they should have gotten something from the game, as they controlled possession and had the lion’s share of chances.

This fighting spirit was summed up in the performance of their debutant at central defence, James Carragher, the son of former England international Jamie Carragher.

The 22-year-old Wigan Athletic defender, who recently gained Maltese citizenship through his grandfather, was handed his first start for Malta after Carragher’s international switch from England, putting in a fine display at the heart of defence.

Jamie Carragher’s reaction to his son’s international debut

The Liverpool legend was in the stands to watch this momentous game for his son James.

Jamie was unable to control his excitement, taking to Instagram to post his thoughts. He said: “Very proud of [James] on your international debut. Didn’t deserve the loss, son.”

(Image credit: Jamie Carragher’s Instagram – @23_carra)

A positive verdict from the current football pundit on his son’s first game representing the Mediterranean country in this World Cup qualifier.

The Wigan defender has had a fine season in League One to this point, having made 23 appearances, scoring once, and providing one assist to earn this international cap.

His consistent performances captured the attention of the Malta Football Association president, Bjorn Vassallo, who last month said: “We’ve been in talks with James and his father, Jamie, for the last few months now; he is open to it, but we’re still working on it.”

The 22-year-old received a call-up under Malta’s new manager as he looks to freshen things up within the country that has only ever won three World Cup qualifier matches.

The Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was in the stands to watch his son’s debut.

The 2005 Champions League Winner has been on holiday on the Mediterranean island for the past few days, as seen by him being pictured paying a visit to Gżira’s iconic Bus Stop Lounge eatery, but he made sure he was at his son’s major milestone.

James Carragher could achieve more international caps than his dad

After his debut performance, he will be confident of adding a second cap when Malta faces Poland on March 24 in their next qualifier for the tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

However, as it stands, he only has one international cap.

The Wigan defender will need to continue to feature regularly at club level to keep earning those international call-ups to the Maltese squad.

He will be confident he can achieve this and would believe that due to him playing at a higher standard than any other defender in the current squad, he will be an automatic choice in the starting XI for Malta.

This means there is a very strong possibility that he can usurp his father’s 38 international caps with England, particularly with the addition of the Nations League competition providing extra competitive fixtures at this level.

The only thing that he may never achieve is earning an international cap at a major tournament, with Jamie Carragher featuring on six occasions in World Cup fixtures.