THE part Jamie Carragher played in the Miracle of Istanbul is the stuff of Anfield legend.

Eight years may have passed since he reached the pinnacle of his career but the memories of that night in the Ataturk Stadium remain crystal clear.

Time after time he put his cramp-ridden body on the line to repel AC Milan’s advances as Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool pulled off the greatest of fightbacks to clinch the club’s fifth European Cup.

“I’ll still be getting asked questions about Istanbul in 20 years’ time – that’s how big the game was and how special it was,” Carragher said.

“I don’t think it will be ever be beaten by this club. I watch a lot of football in a lot of different countries and I’ve never seen a game like that.

“I feel very fortunate that I played my part in it. It’s one of the greatest nights in the club’s history and there has never been a better European Cup final.

“I’ve not watched the full game for a few years but you don’t need to. That much happened with all the goals, Jerzy Dudek’s save, my cramp, the clearances, the penalties and the celebrations, just watching the big incidents takes about 20 minutes. I never tire of watching that.

“Any player will tell you that cramp is the worst thing you can get. But I had to carry on and I got through it. Then it came back just as we were lifting the cup so that’s why I missed out on getting in some of the photos.

“Football is funny. After we lost to Burnley in the FA Cup, if you’d said that a few months later we would play in the greatest European Cup final of all time everyone would have laughed. It just goes to show you are never as far away as you think.”

The road to Istanbul provided the vice-captain with an Anfield night he cherishes above all others – the semi-final second leg against Chelsea.

“That’s right up there with Inter and St Etienne,” he said.

“For people of our era that semi-final against Chelsea was the game. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea were a top team. There was a bit of needle between the teams and it was a big thing to beat them. We got the early goal and then we had to hang on. The supporters dragged us over the line.

“Normally we like to attack the Kop second half but I think it worked in our favour that we were defending the Kop. Sometimes you think the Kop sucks a goal in for you but I think in that second half they were blowing it out, especially when Gudjohnsen had that late chance..”