Television pundit Jamie Carragher has come under fire again, this time from former tennis star Boris Becker.
Becker says the ex-Liverpool defender “is not well informed at all” after disagreeing with his view on the forthcoming Champions League round of 16 tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
Sport Bild report Carragher as saying: “Bayern have not convinced me at all yet. Now they are playing against Leverkusen, who dominated Bayern in the Bundesliga recently. It’s a 50-50 tie. In the end, I’m predicting Leverkusen [to advance].”
Bayern appointed Vincent Kompany as boss at the start of the season, despite his relegation with Burnley last year. The Belgian has impressed at the Allianz Arena, leading Bayern to the top of the Bundesliga and they have an eight-point lead over last year’s champions Leverkusen.
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Carragher questions Kompany
But Carragher believes defeat to Xabi Alonso’s side in the Champions League would lead to question marks over whether he was the right man to lead the club forward.
He added: “If Kompany does not win, there will be many question marks about his appointment, because the league is expected and the Champions League is the icing on the cake of a season. They have to reach at least the semi-finals.”
Bayern fan Becker, who was a former world number one after winning Wimbledon as a 17-year-old, believes Carragher’s views are wide of the mark.
There haven’t been any questions regarding the appointment of Kompany !
In fact @FCBayern just said domestic title most important trophy 🏆 this year and are happy with the work of Vincent Kompany !
Jamie is NOT well informed at all … @Carra23 https://t.co/P84L91VkYB— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) February 26, 2025
Writing on X, the German said: “There haven’t been any questions regarding the appointment of Kompany!
“In fact FC Bayern just said domestic title most important trophy this year and are happy with the work of Vincent Kompany!
“Jamie is NOT well informed at all.”
AFCON row
Carragher came under fire over the weekend for suggesting the African Cup of Nations was not a major tournament when discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of wining the Ballon d’Or.
He told Sky Sports: “I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournaments as such.”
Fellow Sky pundit Micah Richards challenged him at the time and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand later said Carragher’s view was an “ignorant thought process”.
Carragher hit back, labelling Ferdinand a “clown” before attempting to clarify what he meant.
Carragher clarifies AFCON remark
Salah/AFCON/Balon d’or!
The point I was trying to make yesterday was that MO Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Balon D’or.
If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Balon d’or.— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 24, 2025
He wrote on X: “The point I was trying to make yesterday was that Mo Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or. If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or.
“Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros he would still have a great opportunity. It’s not disrespectful if I feel the WC/Euros/CP are better tournaments it’s just my opinion when I watch them.”
He did acknowledged that his wording could have been better, adding: “Saying it wasn’t a major competition was clumsy but I think most people watching could understand the point I was trying to make.”
