Jamie Carragher joins Paulo Maldini and Carles Puyol by winning special award

Jamie Carragher received a special award from Athletic Bilbao as he was named the 2025 One-Club man, a prize previously won by the likes of Paulo Maldini, Carles Puyol and Ryan Giggs.

With 737 appearances for Liverpool, Carragher played in Liverpool’s first team for 16 years, winning the Champions League, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups.

In a rare feat for a modern-era footballer, the centre-back never played for another team, coming through the Reds’ academy and retiring at Anfield in 2013.

The former defender has now received a special award for his achievements, being named the 2025 One-Club man, a prize awarded annually by Athletic Club.

He will be presented with the award at the San Mames stadium before Athletic Club’s game against Girona on September 23.

The title has been handed out annually since 2015, with previous winners including Maldini, Giggs, Puyol and Billy McNeill.

“After winning the Champions League, being a one-club man is the biggest achievement of my career,” Carragher told the Basque club.

“It was an honour when Athletic Club got in touch. Athletic are respected everywhere in the world of football. They’re a truly unique club.”

Carragher was referring to Athletic’s Club policy of only fielding players born in the Basque region or those who have come through an academy in the area.

Despite the rule, they remain the third most successful club in Spain historically, behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona.

He continued: “I’m very honoured to receive this award and to know my name will always remain alongside some great footballers like Paolo Maldini and Carles Puyol.

“As soon as I started playing for Liverpool, I knew I wanted to be a one-club man.

“I like the idea that when people ask, ‘Who did you play for?’, you respond, ‘Liverpool’ and nothing else. I was a supporter on the pitch.”

The Reds have only ever had eight one-club men in their history, with players like Steven Gerrard, who moved on towards the end of their careers, not technically counting.

While Carragher won’t go down as the very best centre-half in Liverpool’s history – that title likely belongs to Alan Hansen or Virgil van Dijk – he is often underrated in football spheres, possibly due to his own self-deprecating nature.

He was the first defender on the teamsheet in Rafa Benitez’s era, when Liverpool competed as one of Europe’s best, and would regularly play for England, competing with John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell for a centre-half spot.

In his role as a television pundit, the 47-year-old also demonstrates his encyclopaedic knowledge of football, proving himself as the best on-screen analyst around.

It was this reading and insight on the game that made him such a good defender. After all, you don’t play for Liverpool for more than 16 years without boasting some serious quality!