Until the end of the first half, Liverpool didn't score again to regain the lead. Actually, there wasn't much time left for Liverpool to score anyway.

After they restarted the game, the first half soon ended.

In the locker room, everyone noticed that Carragher's mood wasn't very high.

Strictly speaking, that goal conceded in the first half was indeed Carragher's fault. He slipped while defending Hulk, losing his balance first, and then Hulk took the opportunity to push him away.

So Carragher felt that his mistake had led to the team conceding the goal.

Seeing the vice-captain so self-reproachful, everyone felt bad.

In fact, Carragher's performance had been very good since replacing Agger. The team had achieved a winning streak, and conceded very few goals. Although Carragher was old and his physical condition wasn't as good as before, he still relied on his experience to help the team avoid danger many times. Moreover, his abundant experience was even more evident in commanding the defense.

It could be said that one mistake couldn't erase Carragher's contributions to the team.

Now, they should find a way to comfort Carragher.

But the vice-captain's behavior in the locker room had always been very assertive, and everyone was afraid that comforting him would instead provoke his displeasure... After all, it would be like slapping the vice-captain's face in front of everyone.

Gerrard wasn't afraid of Carragher's assertiveness, but he was considering Carragher's pride. He knew that Carragher was a person who cared a lot about face. If he comforted Carragher in front of everyone, wouldn't that be admitting that Carragher's performance had a problem? Where would that leave Carragher's face?

Only one person didn't consider so much.

Chen Hero was the last to enter the locker room. Although the team had been tied, he still hugged his mentor Advocaat at the end of the first half. This had nothing to do with the competition between the two teams, it was purely to express his gratitude to his mentor. Because Chen Hero hadn't hugged Advocaat before the game started, he was making up for it now.

So he was the last to enter the locker room.

When he entered the locker room, he keenly felt the strange atmosphere, but his reaction was quick enough. Without even looking at Carragher, he turned around directly and loudly hummed towards the door: "That Hulk, dares to call himself 'The Hulk'? Such a small guy, just knows how to take advantage of others' misfortune! If the vice-captain hadn't slipped, how could he have succeeded?!"

The way he looked, it seemed like he was talking about this with someone outside.

Suarez was also a clever person.

Seeing Chen Hero suddenly turn his head and talk about Hulk and Carragher as soon as he entered, he immediately understood what Chen Hero was trying to do.

He immediately chimed in: "Who says otherwise? That little body... If the vice-captain hadn't slipped, he'd be waiting to hit a wall!"

Chen Hero turned his head, looking at Suarez with joy: "Ah! Great minds think alike! In the second half, I'll let them see what a real giant is!"

Carragher couldn't help but laugh as he listened to these two people acting.

Of course, he knew what these two were doing. In fact, he also knew everyone's feelings. It was just that he was used to being assertive in the locker room, and it was difficult to change that mindset all of a sudden...

He was no longer a strong center-back, and his voice in the locker room was slowly eroding.

Retire!

This thought suddenly popped into his mind, and once it did, he was like a possessed person, unable to get rid of it. He just kept thinking about retiring, he should retire.

The reason was simple: he was a very assertive player, his image was the same as his playing style—brave, aggressive in tackling and intercepting. Therefore, he especially couldn't tolerate the mistake in this game appearing frequently in his future games!

However, he still expressed his gratitude for Chen Hero and Suarez's kindness.

He raised his head and waved at Chen Hero: "Alright, stop acting, you two. I know that was my fault, no matter what the reason, the fact is that I slipped before the other side got the ball. There's nothing to deny. Even if he didn't bump into me, I would have slipped anyway... That's normal, I'm old..."

He said it somewhat helplessly, and anyone could hear the unwillingness in his heart.

In 2005, on the night Liverpool miraculously won the Champions League in Istanbul, Carragher's performance ensured that the team could drag the game into a penalty shootout and defeat the mentally collapsed Italian giants in the penalty shootout.

That was his masterpiece, a representation of his incredibly strong mental strength and heroic style.

In the second half of extra time, AC Milan's Serginho made a cross in front of the goal, creating a chance to score. Carragher tried his best to slide tackle and clear the ball out of the baseline. Afterwards, his leg cramped and he fell to the ground in pain. A minute later, Carragher dragged his injured leg and once again made a flying tackle in front of the goal to clear the danger. Before that, he had already resolved attacks from Shevchenko and Kaka...

From 0:3 to 3:3, and then lifting the Champions League trophy, this final was a classic for Carragher and Liverpool. British media commented after the game: What can make the result of a game surpass the level of strength and tactics? The answer can only be mental strength. In Carragher, people saw this power.

The tough guy Carragher had his leg broken by Blackburn's Neill at the end of 2003. At the time, everyone thought he would have to rest for at least eight months, but he returned to the field in just four months. If he didn't have a strong willpower, how could he have completed such a miraculous comeback?

Such a strong and unyielding player always commanded in the locker room with a tone that didn't allow you to question him. It was as if his words were orders, imperial edicts. Some people hated his attitude, calling him a "ball bully," but this was actually a manifestation of his personal character, just like his playing style on the field.

Even such a player, as hard as granite, now said "I'm old." The helplessness in his tone was truly heartbreaking.

Gerrard, however, heard a hint of ominousness in his tone.

"Jamie..."

His words were interrupted by Carragher: "Just now, I've made a decision. I've decided to retire at the end of this season."

He said words that shocked everyone in a very calm tone.

※※※

Martin O'Neill was pushing open the door of the locker room. He had just pushed it open a crack when he heard Carragher's voice.

"...I've decided to retire at the end of this season."

He was stunned for a moment, and didn't take that step in.

"You're crazy, Jamie!" followed by Gerrard's exclamation.

"What... what's going on?" Chen Hero also felt very surprised.

"I'm not crazy, Steven. I've thought about it seriously, I should retire. I'm thirty-six years old, this is a suitable age to retire, Steven," Carragher's voice sounded very resolute.

"Don't think wildly, it's just a defensive mistake, is it worth it?" Gerrard retorted.

"Yes, yes, vice-captain. And it's just a tie, there are still forty-five minutes, we can still overtake them in the second half... It's nothing, you really don't need to take it to heart... What's so scary about conceding a goal? I also make mistakes sometimes, who in this room hasn't made a mistake? You guys say, right?!" Chen Hero looked around the locker room and said to everyone.

Everyone stepped forward to support Chen Hero's point of view.

"Yes, vice-captain. We've all made mistakes..."

"I've even scored an own goal before, it's really nothing..."

"What's an own goal? I almost injured one of our own!"

"You only almost did it, I've made a lot of mistakes..."

"Hey, you guys' mistakes are nothing. I used to dribble the ball all the way in the youth team, breaking through and scoring, and then I shot the ball into our own goal! The coach was going crazy on the sidelines! I myself didn't know what was wrong with me at the time..."

For a time, the locker room turned into a self-criticism session where everyone exposed their shortcomings and revealed their scandals.

Looking at how his teammates were vying to discredit themselves in order to persuade him to withdraw his decision to retire, Carragher's face was smiling, but his eyes were full of tears.

He stood up from his seat.

Seeing the vice-captain getting up, everyone gradually quieted down.

"Thank you, I understand everyone's feelings... But this isn't just a mistake, it's a signal. It's reminding me that it's time to retire, my body is no longer able to withstand this kind of high-intensity confrontation for a whole season, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I've played many consecutive games recently, I haven't done that for two seasons. To be honest, I was initially very dissatisfied with the boss arranging me on the bench..."

※※※

Hearing these words, Martin O'Neill was even more afraid to make a sound. He felt that the people in the room shouldn't have discovered him, the head coach, hiding outside the locker room door.

Hearing Carragher say this, he wasn't surprised. Although Carragher had never shown it to him, he knew and was sure that Carragher was dissatisfied in his heart. From being the team's vice-captain and main player to sitting on the bench as a substitute, no one would feel good about it.

He only heard Carragher continue to say.

"But now I know, my body is indeed no longer suitable for this kind of confrontation for a whole season..."

※※※

"But you've only made one mistake. In the many games you've played, your performance has always been very good, and we haven't lost..." Gerrard persuaded.

Carragher nodded: "That's right, Steven. You're right. But I can't tolerate such mistakes appearing frequently in my future games... And this is almost inevitable, because I'm old."

"But your heart isn't old yet, Jamie!" Gerrard raised his voice.

Carragher looked at the somewhat agitated Gerrard and suddenly smiled.

"Actually, my heart is also old, Steven."