Fair play.
Since he called time on 17 glittering years at Liverpool in 2013, Jamie Carragher has forged an impressive second career as a respected and authoritative pundit on Sky Sports. Monday Night Football has become a must-see show for football fans everywhere for its deep dive into key aspects of the weekend’s games.
But Carragher is also known for his sense of humour. From referencing the Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm, to taking the piss out of himself with self-deprecating candour, he sets himself apart from the sometimes over-serious and highly-strung Gary Neville. He also has no problem with giving it back on social media.
After ten-man Everton’s sorry 3-0 defeat away to Lyon in the Europa League, a result that knocks them out of the competition, the official Toffees’ account paid tribute to the nearly 3,000-strong travelling support for their unstinting encouragement and loud vocal following of the team.
👏 | A disappointing evening in France, but thank you to the 2,816 Toffees who travelled in support. Safe journey home, Blues. #EFC pic.twitter.com/zxlmzBy0ER
— Everton (@Everton) November 2, 2017
What they didn’t realise is that the image they used of away fans at the Stade des Lumières included a not-very-complimentary reference to Liverpool stalwart Carragher. This was spotted by an eagle-eyed Evertonian, who alerted the Sky pundit to the unflattering message…
Get on that banner from tonight @Carra23 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/amRWphdCQ1
— JF (@JayEffOhWhy) November 2, 2017
You’d forgive Carragher for either ignoring the insult altogether, or expressing derision that Blues fans had gone to the trouble of creating and travelling with a bedsheet-sized banner about him. But instead he was characteristically light-hearted about the sign and saw it as a long-held dream finally fulfilled.
The former Liverpool captain was famously an Everton fan growing up, and welcomed the fact that his name was finally writ large in an Everton dominated stand. It seems dreams do come true…
As a kid I used to dream about my name being on a banner in the Everton end!!!!!! https://t.co/942esiNjKl
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 2, 2017