Jamie Carragher has no regrets about his England u-turn -- even though it has cost his seven-year-old son a trip to Disneyland
Jamie Carragher has no regrets about his England u-turn -- even though it has cost his seven-year-old son a trip to Disneyland.
|
Jamie Carragher. Pic/Getty Images |
The Carragher family were due to be flying off for their annual post-season holiday on Monday. That was until the long-serving Liverpool defender answered the call that could turn him into a World Cup star.
Fabio Capello's trusted right-hand man Franco Baldini was the man who made contact, although even young James was happy about that. "I only told Steven (Gerrard) and my wife, because we were supposed to be going to Disneyland on Monday, which is now off. A few days later I mentioned it to my dad and my son.
Everyone was very pleased and desperate for me to go."
That Carragher did not immediately say yes, owed more to his desire to satisfy himself no-one who had "been to Kazakhstan or the Ukraine" in a qualifying campaign that registered nine wins from 10 games, was losing out due to his inclusion.
As it turned out, injuries to Joleon Lescott and Wes Brown did not improve, allowing Carragher to join up with a clear conscience.
"In another five years I probably won't kick a ball again for the rest of my life. So the chance to play at the highest level again was obvious. But the chance to work with this manager was equally important," Carragher said.