Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has announced that this season will be his last as a professional soccer player. With his current contract set to expire at the end of the season, the 35-year-old has confirmed he will hang up his boots after 16 years at Anfield.

"This will be my last season at Liverpool and my last as a professional footballer,” Carragher announced on Liverpool’s official Web site. "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. I will be fully committed between now and the end of the season to doing the very best for Liverpool Football Club, as I've done my entire career since joining aged just nine-years-old. It has been a privilege and an honour to represent this great club for as long as I have and I am immensely proud to have done so and thankful for all the support I have had.”

Carragher made his debut for Liverpool in January 1997; since, he has made 723 senior appearances for the Reds, winning a number of trophies, including the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups.  Only Ian Callaghan, who played 857 times for Liverpool between 1960 and 1978, has made more appearances for the club than Carragher.