Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher, and his son James have recently been granted Maltese citizenship. This development opens up the possibility for James to play for the Malta national team.
Jamie Carragher, who had a successful 17-year career with Liverpool in the English Premier League, was granted citizenship due to his Maltese lineage. His grandfather and mother were both of Maltese origin. Government sources confirmed that he was granted citizenship by registration which requires the applicant to be a direct descendant of someone born in Malta.
The former England player's grandfather Paul Vassallo originally hailed from Qormi in Malta before moving to Bootle in the UK after marrying an English woman. His daughter Paula née Vassallo, Jamie's mother, is also of Maltese descent. James Carragher was also granted citizenship at the same time as his father. Like his father, James is a professional footballer playing as centre-back for English Football League One club Wigan Athletic. The 22-year-old made his debut for Wigan in August and scored his first professional career goal two weeks ago against Bristol Rovers – an achievement Sky Sports humorously noted put him only three goals behind his father’s career tally.
Potential addition to Malta National Team
With their newfound Maltese citizenship comes the possibility of playing for Malta national team - an opportunity confirmed by Bjorn Vassallo, president of Malta Football Association (MFA). He revealed that MFA had initiated talks with the family about this prospect.
Bjorn Vassallo, President of Malta Football Association, said:
“We’ve been in talks with James and his father Jamie for the last few months now; he [James] is open to it, but we’re still working on it,”
Vassallo pointed out that there are already two players on their national team who joined through similar citizenship registrations. He added that these discussions with Carraghers align with MFA's aim to strengthen its squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers in March. He stated, “We will not shy from signing players internationally; everyone is doing it, so why not us?”
The acquisition of Maltese citizenship by the Carraghers could potentially boost the Malta national team's performance in future matches. As sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts keep a keen eye on these developments, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
