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The Greatest Games
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona 2019
Man United 2-1 Bayern Munich 1999
AC Milan 3 - 3 Liverpool 2005
Are these the greatest games ever played?
From Jurgen Klopp to Gary Neville, Xavi to David Beckham, Jamie Carragher speaks with teammates, rivals, managers and legends of the sport to identify and analyse football's greatest encounters.
As Carra and his contributors take you into the dressing rooms and out onto the pitches of the world's most celebrated stadiums, they relive some of the defining moments of their playing careers as well as many more from the greatest football matches ever played - from title deciders and cup finals to against-all-odds comebacks, tactical masterclasses and old school classics.
Packed full of hilariously stories, exclusive anecdotes and refreshing appraisals, in The Greatest Games Jamie Carragher takes you into the heart of these matches, revealing new insights into the teams, players and coaches that have shaped football.
Man United 2-1 Bayern Munich 1999
AC Milan 3 - 3 Liverpool 2005
Are these the greatest games ever played?
From Jurgen Klopp to Gary Neville, Xavi to David Beckham, Jamie Carragher speaks with teammates, rivals, managers and legends of the sport to identify and analyse football's greatest encounters.
As Carra and his contributors take you into the dressing rooms and out onto the pitches of the world's most celebrated stadiums, they relive some of the defining moments of their playing careers as well as many more from the greatest football matches ever played - from title deciders and cup finals to against-all-odds comebacks, tactical masterclasses and old school classics.
Packed full of hilariously stories, exclusive anecdotes and refreshing appraisals, in The Greatest Games Jamie Carragher takes you into the heart of these matches, revealing new insights into the teams, players and coaches that have shaped football.
- GenresFootballNonfiction
368 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2021
33 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 30, 2020
This is not your typical football nook, in this book Jamie lists what in his opinion are his greatest football games, and it is an imprssive selection, I enjoyed the AC Milan 3 Liverpool 3 game the best, but all games are stunning football games. The author writes in his own straight down to earth honest style, and it works, the book is so interesting and very easy to read, allot of thought and effort as been put into the pages, such detail is provided, team line ups for the games, only negative, maybe a lack of pictures from the games. But I have to say a really enjoyable book, for fans of any team, it is not just about Liverpool which was Jamies club. High quality fotball book in my opinion, nice book cover. Well worth reading, I think I spotted one editorial error in the Manchester City line up stating David Villa instead of David Silva (but I cannot remember, hehe I have slept since reading the book), but other than that a excellent book. if you get a chance to read it, then do so.
May 23, 2021
As a proud Red reading Carragher’s thoughts on some of his chosen greatest games was a privilege. Obviously many of these games focussed on Liverpool games, some he played in but others not, and some that simply influenced his playing style.
It’s not an autobiography, but still as personal as it can get, but with a technical and professional analysis that makes this something a bit different, and very readable as a result. You don’t need to be a Liverpool fan to read and enjoy this, those that are will probably get something a bit deeper from it though, and would recommend to anyone that enjoys talking about football, whingeing and ranting about decisions on/off the pitch and really to anyone that enjoys a strategic view of the beautiful game.
It’s not an autobiography, but still as personal as it can get, but with a technical and professional analysis that makes this something a bit different, and very readable as a result. You don’t need to be a Liverpool fan to read and enjoy this, those that are will probably get something a bit deeper from it though, and would recommend to anyone that enjoys talking about football, whingeing and ranting about decisions on/off the pitch and really to anyone that enjoys a strategic view of the beautiful game.
February 9, 2021
A very enjoyable read, its nice to read a players perspective of a classic game.
November 18, 2020
Great read, I'm a red and there is a bit of a leaning toward Liverpool matches but a good spread of insight into other teams 'greatest games' aswell. Its got great insight into the tactics of those games but also into the context in which the games were played, the 1989 Arsenal league winning match was great for this. I loved reading about 1980s Everton too, a team and era that Carra clearly remembers fondly. The Barcelona and even the Manchester United chapters were enjoyable. Well worth a read for any footy fans but especially reds.
January 18, 2021
A good book to read if you're a football fan, there was some games that I wouldn't of personally put in the book but each to their own.
December 28, 2020
A fascinating insight into some of the best games from the early 80s to the modern day. Sports books can vary between regurgitating actual events that we already know or shedding new light on something that we thought we knew, and this book falls in the later. Jamie uses his punditry skills from his time on TV to some matches who were not subjected to the level of scrutiny before. Excellent book
April 27, 2024
Най-великите мачове според Джейми Карагър: https://knigolandia.info/nai-velikite...
В заника на сезона в Премиършип, който обещаваше да е най-интересният от години, но в крайна сметка пак ще се сведе до триумф на отбор с повече финансови нарушения от всички други, взети заедно, и броени седмици до приключването на ерата „Клоп“ в „Ливърпул“, която вълнуваше не само феновете на мърсисайдци, е нелошо време човек да погледне към миналото на считаната за най-велика игра на планетата. Легендата на „Ливърпул“ Джейми Карагър е подбрал 11 знакови за самия него мачове, един признато субективен избор, и през техния фокус всъщност говори за всичко, което е футболът – не само тактика, триумфи и поражения, но и изобщо социалното влияние на играта и причината да се следи от стотици милиони по света. Като бивш футболист, но и един от най-популярните коментатори в наши дни, той има безпрецедентен достъп до мениджъри, футболисти, ръководители, които са взели пряко участие във всички тези мачове, точно поради което и в своите истории той разкрива неподозирани досега детайли от и около всяка от срещите. Разбира се, ако сте фен, за повечето от „Най-великите мачове“ ще да знаете резултатите автоматично – но не те са важните. С много жар и страст Карагър описва защо всеки един от избраните от него мачове е важен не сам по себе си, а това, което символизира – промяна, която е устойчива, и която е знак, че се е случило нещо, за което ще се говори в годините напред. Ще проследя накратко кои са мачовете, за да добиете представа.
Ciela Books
https://knigolandia.info/nai-velikite...
В заника на сезона в Премиършип, който обещаваше да е най-интересният от години, но в крайна сметка пак ще се сведе до триумф на отбор с повече финансови нарушения от всички други, взети заедно, и броени седмици до приключването на ерата „Клоп“ в „Ливърпул“, която вълнуваше не само феновете на мърсисайдци, е нелошо време човек да погледне към миналото на считаната за най-велика игра на планетата. Легендата на „Ливърпул“ Джейми Карагър е подбрал 11 знакови за самия него мачове, един признато субективен избор, и през техния фокус всъщност говори за всичко, което е футболът – не само тактика, триумфи и поражения, но и изобщо социалното влияние на играта и причината да се следи от стотици милиони по света. Като бивш футболист, но и един от най-популярните коментатори в наши дни, той има безпрецедентен достъп до мениджъри, футболисти, ръководители, които са взели пряко участие във всички тези мачове, точно поради което и в своите истории той разкрива неподозирани досега детайли от и около всяка от срещите. Разбира се, ако сте фен, за повечето от „Най-великите мачове“ ще да знаете резултатите автоматично – но не те са важните. С много жар и страст Карагър описва защо всеки един от избраните от него мачове е важен не сам по себе си, а това, което символизира – промяна, която е устойчива, и която е знак, че се е случило нещо, за което ще се говори в годините напред. Ще проследя накратко кои са мачовете, за да добиете представа.
Ciela Books
https://knigolandia.info/nai-velikite...
January 31, 2021
I really enjoyed this. Not an autobiography. Not your usual bland platitudes. And I’m not a Liverpool supporter. There is obviously a heavy Merseyside (and Liverpool, in particular) bias in Jamie’s selection of the greatest games but that is to be expected. I enjoyed Jamie’s take on tactics, team selection, and the evolution of goal scoring moves within a match. What adds to the book massively is the first part of each chapter defines the context of the match which was well written. An easy four-star book, granted an extra star for novelty value, something different and Carragher’s insightful analysis.
June 29, 2023
This was brilliant. I love Carra, of course, as a Liverpool fan, but this was just brilliant even if you aren't a Liverpool fan. The only thing you can really say is that it is skewed toward newer games as well as ones that Carra himself either played in or has reasons to understand very well such as a personal connection (he grew up in Liverpool as an Everton fan) or knows people closely who were involved it the game. But, really, if you look at the games he picked they are all legendary.
And the thing that I really like is that beyond breaking down how the game went and often giving a new view on what people have said about the games for a long time he really provides excellent context for each game. In other words, the Liverpool vs. Newcastle classic from 1996 is not just talked about as a thrilling match in a title chase, but it really becomes about both clubs' unfulfilled ambitions in that time period, particularly Liverpool's struggles in the 90s. That's just one example, but he really does the same thing for every match, so like the context of Hillsborough for the two 1989 matches or the Pep Guardiola influence on modern football for the 2011 Champions League Final.
And I think that what Carra is especially keen at is looking at football with an insider's love and knowledge of the game but a clear-headedness that many don't have. He isn't just a homer, guffawing former-footballer pundit. He will say what he thinks, even if it's again Liverpool or England or others he has close affinities to. So, for example, his analysis of how clubs should follow their traditional methods of playing to keep their identity is brilliant, and he hits the nail on the head when he wonders what Man City will do once Pep leaves because it will be very difficult to continue playing the Pep way without him there.
One final note--it was fun to read Carra's account of Istanbul 2005, the greatest match ever, which I watched live and made me a Liverpool fan. I have already read Gerrard's account, Reade's account as a fan who was there, and learned Dudek's account from the John Green book, so it was fun to keep learning another participant's account of that unbelievable day.
I would recommend this to any football fan, and this was definitely good enough that I would read it again someday to remember the details of these epic matches.
And the thing that I really like is that beyond breaking down how the game went and often giving a new view on what people have said about the games for a long time he really provides excellent context for each game. In other words, the Liverpool vs. Newcastle classic from 1996 is not just talked about as a thrilling match in a title chase, but it really becomes about both clubs' unfulfilled ambitions in that time period, particularly Liverpool's struggles in the 90s. That's just one example, but he really does the same thing for every match, so like the context of Hillsborough for the two 1989 matches or the Pep Guardiola influence on modern football for the 2011 Champions League Final.
And I think that what Carra is especially keen at is looking at football with an insider's love and knowledge of the game but a clear-headedness that many don't have. He isn't just a homer, guffawing former-footballer pundit. He will say what he thinks, even if it's again Liverpool or England or others he has close affinities to. So, for example, his analysis of how clubs should follow their traditional methods of playing to keep their identity is brilliant, and he hits the nail on the head when he wonders what Man City will do once Pep leaves because it will be very difficult to continue playing the Pep way without him there.
One final note--it was fun to read Carra's account of Istanbul 2005, the greatest match ever, which I watched live and made me a Liverpool fan. I have already read Gerrard's account, Reade's account as a fan who was there, and learned Dudek's account from the John Green book, so it was fun to keep learning another participant's account of that unbelievable day.
I would recommend this to any football fan, and this was definitely good enough that I would read it again someday to remember the details of these epic matches.
January 4, 2024
Books like these that offer the "The Greatest (put your own subject in here) ) are always going to leave themselves open to argument, especially if that subject is the national pastime - and we're not talking angling here (which prompts a separate debate altogether !). The choice will always be subjective and with Carragher being a Liverpool player, it can be no surprise that four out of the eleven are Liverpool matches and only two are about the England team.
Carragher has a respected reputation as a football player and as as that newly-created creature, the football pundit. Unfortunately, someone at Bantam Press needed to get him to work with an editor so that he did not have to belabour the point that Alex Ferguson got his tactics against Barcelona wrong on the 28th of May in 2011, that Houllier and his tactics for the Liverpool victory away in Istanbul against AC Milan on 25th of May in 2005 etc, etc... That would then have created enough room to fit in at least another eleven games !!
His natural bias does not allow him to include other respected British teams of the twentieth century such as Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City or Chelsea and national teams such as Brazil, Argentina and Italy. After all, the book was published in 2020 so their omission underlines the laughable title of "The Greatest".
And the simple placement of the team sheets at the start of every chapter so that the non-football geek could see which player played for which side, especially when a non-local name could belong to a member of either of the teams would have been really useful.
Having said that, the book does offer insights into the technical aspects of the game which the pundits on "Match of the Day" repeat bewilderingly without explanation and Carragher is not afraid to voice a critical opinion , especially when talking to the individual people involved in the games chosen. In the end is it a worthwhile book to give to a football fan? No, get "Going to the Match" by Duncan Hamilton - that's a stand out book about why the game elicits the passions that it does. Is it an attempt to cash in on Carragher's celebrity as a pundit and a further income stream into his retirement fund? OF COURSE NOT !
Carragher has a respected reputation as a football player and as as that newly-created creature, the football pundit. Unfortunately, someone at Bantam Press needed to get him to work with an editor so that he did not have to belabour the point that Alex Ferguson got his tactics against Barcelona wrong on the 28th of May in 2011, that Houllier and his tactics for the Liverpool victory away in Istanbul against AC Milan on 25th of May in 2005 etc, etc... That would then have created enough room to fit in at least another eleven games !!
His natural bias does not allow him to include other respected British teams of the twentieth century such as Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City or Chelsea and national teams such as Brazil, Argentina and Italy. After all, the book was published in 2020 so their omission underlines the laughable title of "The Greatest".
And the simple placement of the team sheets at the start of every chapter so that the non-football geek could see which player played for which side, especially when a non-local name could belong to a member of either of the teams would have been really useful.
Having said that, the book does offer insights into the technical aspects of the game which the pundits on "Match of the Day" repeat bewilderingly without explanation and Carragher is not afraid to voice a critical opinion , especially when talking to the individual people involved in the games chosen. In the end is it a worthwhile book to give to a football fan? No, get "Going to the Match" by Duncan Hamilton - that's a stand out book about why the game elicits the passions that it does. Is it an attempt to cash in on Carragher's celebrity as a pundit and a further income stream into his retirement fund? OF COURSE NOT !
February 22, 2021
Jamie dives deep into some of the greatest games he's seen or played in. Certain games he picked as a chapter in the book would make you question why. An example of this would be the England vs Germany 5 - 1 routing in 2001. By normal standards, no one would consider a World Cup qualifier as a great game, let alone one of the greatest. But as you go deeper into the chapter Jamie persuasively justified why he considered this to be one of if not the greatest game of English football in the milleneum era.
In the Barcelona v Man Utd 2011 chapter Jamie covered on why he thinks Pep's Barca team was one of the greatest and a team that truly defined an era. It was the team that perfected tiki-taka football and won almost all the competitions they were in. Interestingly in this chapter instead of waxing lyrical about playing football 'the right way', Jamie elaborated on why he thinks there isnt actually the right way to play football. The fact that there is so many angles that you could look from to win a football game is truly what actually makes the game beautiful.
In the Barcelona v Man Utd 2011 chapter Jamie covered on why he thinks Pep's Barca team was one of the greatest and a team that truly defined an era. It was the team that perfected tiki-taka football and won almost all the competitions they were in. Interestingly in this chapter instead of waxing lyrical about playing football 'the right way', Jamie elaborated on why he thinks there isnt actually the right way to play football. The fact that there is so many angles that you could look from to win a football game is truly what actually makes the game beautiful.
March 4, 2024
Great insight into the worlds greatest games, expertly told by the legend who is carra. Made me feel like I was sat in the kopp end singing liverpooooool liverpooool. Can’t wait to read his autobiography next and get more into his own career. Minus one star for lack of Gary Neville content. Otherwise perfect 😊
December 3, 2020
A game-changing football book as it brings the pundit's analysis to the printed medium. Knocks down conventional wisdom with entertaining prose and some top interviews - Xavi, Rooney, Beckham, Hamann, Kompany - and is the best book for a teenage football fanatic. Contains mild swearing.
December 11, 2020
A great look back (and most of the games I remember watching too).
As Jamie says in the book the "memories" of the actual events in the game were maybe not as we remember the further away we get from them. - It made me want to re-watch a couple.
As Jamie says in the book the "memories" of the actual events in the game were maybe not as we remember the further away we get from them. - It made me want to re-watch a couple.
January 1, 2021
This book is very easy to read. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes football. It's not just about Liverpool. I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn't more about Liverpool. However, it made me view the games in a different way.
February 5, 2023
A fun read from Carragher. The games I have seen I obviously enjoyed reading more about but credit to him. The things I have not seen he made interesting to read. Goes into not just the game but what they expected
October 24, 2024
Listened on audiobook. I feel this is a book better read than listened to. I couldn’t really get deeply involved with the stories of each game and I think this would be different if the book was read.
January 2, 2021
A football analysts dream!
January 30, 2021
3.5 🌟 - can be too "tedious" and "draggy" at times...
July 6, 2022
Detailed but drawn out and often dry analysis.
September 20, 2022
Says his favourite games in excellent detail
October 5, 2023
Knows his stuff does our Jamie
August 13, 2025
4/5 - A fascinating insight into Carra's favourite matches. Well worth a read, and yes, I am biased as a lifelong red.
February 7, 2021
Jamie Carragher is in my opinion one of footballs best football pundits. He has a superb knowledge and understanding of the game as he regularly demonstrates on Skys TV’s Monday Night Football. In his book The Greatest Games he has used the same approach to analyse 11 of what he considers the greatest games. The games chosen is one area I think where there will be some debate.
Carragher explains in the introduction the criteria he has used for the inclusion of these game. He says the 11 games are those which have left the deepest impression on him as a fan, player and pundit. He goes on to state the games haven’t been chosen because they were the best ever played and he understands there are notable omissions. Some matches have been chosen because of personal reasons, others because he considers them to be defining a particular era showing coaching ethics that are significant in a historical context.
What I love about this book is that Carragher hasn’t just looked at what happened on the pitch during these games but also the circumstances that surrounded them and the consequences they had. The two Liverpool games he has chosen from 1989 are good examples of this. The 1989 FA Cup final against Everton and the title deciding game against Arsenal a few days later. Both significant as they came just after the Hillsborough tragedy. The Cup final had more poignancy as it was a Merseyside derby, the Arsenal game had far reaching consequences as it marked the end of and era for Liverpool and the start of new one for Arsenal. A point Carragher makes, as it shows it was Arsenal who ‘knocked Liverpool off their perch’ not as the popular myth states Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. Their success came a few years later after the inception of The Premier League, by then Liverpool’s golden era was at an end.
The analysis of these games are enhanced by contributions of players involved, it’s interesting to hear how a game is viewed differently when you’re playing in it. A good example of this is Manchester United’s win over Bayern Munich. The two goals United scored in injury time to win the Champions League final suggest a classic smash and grab, a view which Teddy Sheringham agrees with, but Carragher’s analysis shows it wasn’t necessarily the case.
The Greatest Games is an entertaining, well written, informative read, full of interesting anecdotes and observations written by someone who obviously knows his stuff and has a passion for the game.
Highly recommend.
Carragher explains in the introduction the criteria he has used for the inclusion of these game. He says the 11 games are those which have left the deepest impression on him as a fan, player and pundit. He goes on to state the games haven’t been chosen because they were the best ever played and he understands there are notable omissions. Some matches have been chosen because of personal reasons, others because he considers them to be defining a particular era showing coaching ethics that are significant in a historical context.
What I love about this book is that Carragher hasn’t just looked at what happened on the pitch during these games but also the circumstances that surrounded them and the consequences they had. The two Liverpool games he has chosen from 1989 are good examples of this. The 1989 FA Cup final against Everton and the title deciding game against Arsenal a few days later. Both significant as they came just after the Hillsborough tragedy. The Cup final had more poignancy as it was a Merseyside derby, the Arsenal game had far reaching consequences as it marked the end of and era for Liverpool and the start of new one for Arsenal. A point Carragher makes, as it shows it was Arsenal who ‘knocked Liverpool off their perch’ not as the popular myth states Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. Their success came a few years later after the inception of The Premier League, by then Liverpool’s golden era was at an end.
The analysis of these games are enhanced by contributions of players involved, it’s interesting to hear how a game is viewed differently when you’re playing in it. A good example of this is Manchester United’s win over Bayern Munich. The two goals United scored in injury time to win the Champions League final suggest a classic smash and grab, a view which Teddy Sheringham agrees with, but Carragher’s analysis shows it wasn’t necessarily the case.
The Greatest Games is an entertaining, well written, informative read, full of interesting anecdotes and observations written by someone who obviously knows his stuff and has a passion for the game.
Highly recommend.
November 4, 2021
Bought for husband as a gift and reported that it was boring and not for him.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews