Liverpool's Jamie Carragher will retire from soccer at the end of the season after making more than 700 appearances for the club, the former England defender said on Thursday.
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The 35-year-old, who joined the five-times European champions at the age of nine and made his first team debut in 1997, is no longer an automatic starter and his appearances have become increasingly infrequent this season.
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'' This will be my last season at Liverpool and my last as a professional footballer '', said Carragher who won 38 England caps.
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'' I'm making this announcement now because I don't want the manager or the club to be answering questions on my future when i've already decided what I am going to do '', he told the club website.