Tax-Man Horror - Liverpool and Presenting Legend Jamie Carragher in Hot HMRC Water

Cough Up, Carragher says HMRC

Former player and beloved pundit Jamie Carragher is revered across the nation as one of the biggest personas in all of British sport. That stemmed from his strong playing career over a lengthy period with Liverpool and England, which then led to a high-brow role with Sky Sports as a pundit and presenter.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been the subject of a bankruptcy petition filed by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an unpaid tax bill.

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The former defender's playing days saw him land 38 senior caps with the Three Lions, and he has gone down in history as one of Liverpool's best-ever players - he was the only club he plied a trade for in his career, turning out on 737 times for the Merseyside outfit whilst also winning the Champions League with them in 2005.

Now a shy away from his fifties, he is one of the most well-known and much-watched voices in English media, as well as being one of the best-paid. That, however, has not saved him from the potential bankruptcy he currently faces.

Carragher Could Be Declared Bankrupt Over Unpaid Taxes

CityAM broke the news first, revealing that reports had stated that HMRC have filed a petition at the High Court in London as of Wednesday, with the goal of seeing Carragher declared bankrupt due to an unpaid tax bill. A statement from them read:

"We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and do everything we can to help those who engage with us to get out of debt, such as offering instalment plans. We only petition for bankruptcy as a last resort."

HMRC also stated that it does not comment on individual cases.

The news noted that Carragher is down as a director of five different companies, which includes the Cafe Sports England (Liverpool) business, which is currently in liquidation. They owned the Stanley Street restaurant and cocktail bar in Thomas Steers Way in Liverpool one, which went under in 2013 with a debt north of £1.1m.

Carragher Not a Lone Lion in Bankruptcy

If the ex-defender is declared bankrupt over the tax bill, then he would not be the only former England international to be hit with the same blow. One of the more well-known instances is that of fellow Liverpool legend John Barnes, who spoke of his own money issues that saw his media company liquidated with owed bills of up to £1.5m:

“Like a lot of elite sportspeople, I got burned because I trusted people, I got caught out a couple of times and ended up losing between £1m and £1.5m over four years. In 2017, I began talking to HMRC about what I could do to repay what I owed.”

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As well as Barnes, Emile Heskey defaulted on £92,000 in his taxes from 2017-2020, receiving a £42,000 fine and a High Court bankruptcy petition. His bankruptcy was confirmed in August 2024, with a discharge set for August 2025.

A former teammate of Carragher's in Jermaine Pennant would be another ex-pro to have debt issues. His financial woes summitted back in January 2023 when the former winger racked up debts in the region of £1m to HMRC, councils, banks and utility companies.

The likes of Trevor Sinclair, Wes Brown, Chris Sutton, David James and Lee Hendrie are also former footballers who have faced financial issues in retirement.