Jamie Carragher Faces Bankruptcy Over £700,000 Tax Bill

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher is facing a bankruptcy petition due to an unpaid tax bill estimated between £700,000 and £800,000.

Documents seen by the BBC show that a case was filed against James Lee Duncan Carragher on Wednesday.

The bankruptcy petition was filed by lawyers for HM Revenue and Customs and was first reported by City AM.

An HMRC spokesperson told BBC Sport that the agency does not comment on individual cases. They said they support customers with tax debts and work with them to sort out these issues.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“We only petition for bankruptcy as a last resort.”

Carragher, who played for Liverpool from 1996 to 2013, has become a well-known football analyst. He often appears on Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage, the Stick to Football show, and CBS Sports’ Champions League programming.

A spokesperson for Carragher said this is a private tax issue. They mentioned that steps are being taken to resolve it.

“This is a private tax matter that should have been resolved sooner, and the appropriate steps are being taken today to settle it,” the spokesperson said.

“It is understood that the matter will not proceed any further and will be resolved imminently.”

Carragher is not the only former footballer facing tax-related money troubles after retiring. Other former England players like David James, Wes Brown, and Lee Hendrie have also been declared bankrupt.

Carragher’s former Liverpool teammate Emile Heskey lost a legal battle over an unpaid £1.637 million tax bill in 2024. In 2025, Trevor Sinclair was declared bankrupt after failing to pay a tax bill over £36,000.

That same year, Shaun Wright-Phillips was also petitioned for bankruptcy by HMRC at the High Court in London.

Last September, reports showed that up to 200 footballers might have lost tens of millions of pounds, with some losing their homes and being declared bankrupt.

Former England midfielder and Match of the Day analyst Danny Murphy has said he lost about £5 million due to what he called “financial abuse.”