MADRID, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Athletic Bilbao on Thursday named former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher as the winner of its One Club Man award for 2025.
The Basque club, which only uses players born or raised in the Basque region of northern Spain and the south-west of France, gives the One Club Man award every year to recognize great players who have remained loyal to the club where they began their careers.
Past winners include former FC Barcelona defender Carles Puyol, AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini, Manchester United's Ryan Giggs and former German international goalkeeper Sepp Maier.
The Athletic Bilbao website highlights that Carragher had "a 17-year professional career at Anfield, making 737 appearances for the club between 1996 and 2013."
Speaking in a video interview, Carragher said the award was "right up with some of the other individual awards I won, maybe it's the top because it is special and unique."
"As soon as I started playing for Liverpool, I knew I wanted to be a one-club man. I like the idea that when people ask: 'who did you play for?' You respond: 'Liverpool' and nothing else. I was a supporter on the pitch," he continued.
"Because I am a one-club-man, I look with respect on other players who have done that with their clubs. After winning the Champions League, maybe being a one-club man is the biggest achievement of my career," the defender commented.
"It was an honor when Athletic Club got in touch. Athletic are respected everywhere in the world of football. They're a truly unique club," Carragher commented. ■