Nicola Carragher, wife of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, has admitted feeling 'embarrassed' by the surge in fame that followed the Reds' dramatic Champions League victory in May 2005. The triumph, known as the 'Miracle of Istanbul', saw Liverpool come from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties, catapulting players like Carragher into the spotlight.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Nicola recalled how the increased attention affected her. 'If we were out in public I was always worried that people were looking at us. I felt shy, embarrassed,' she said. She described an instance in a restaurant where Carragher was playfully messing about with their children, James and Mia, making a fool of himself, and she felt self-conscious.
Despite the media intrusion, Nicola emphasised that Carragher's main concern remains his family. 'As long as the kids were happy, he didn’t care what anybody thought,' she said, adding that he is 'without doubt the best dad in the world'.
Carragher himself reflected on the 2005 final in a 2020 interview with The Mirror, describing the moment of victory as an 'energy rush' that had to come out. 'I ran towards Jerzy [Dudek] and was the first one there... I carried on around the track, couldn’t have stood still,' he recalled. He noted that the win brought the club closer to the city, with the homecoming celebration lasting days.
