 Barnes in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Charles Bryan Barnes[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-11-07)7 November 1963 (age 61)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.81 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Stowe Boys Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1980–1981 | Sudbury Court | ||
| 1981–1987 | Watford | 233 | (65) |
| 1987–1997 | Liverpool | 314 | (84) |
| 1997–1999 | Newcastle United | 27 | (6) |
| 1999 | Charlton Athletic | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 586 | (155) | |
| International career | |||
| 1982–1983 | England U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1983–1995[3] | England | 79 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Celtic | ||
| 2008–2009 | Jamaica | ||
| 2009 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Charles Bryan BarnesMBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professionalfootball player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time,[4][5][6] Barnes currently works as an author, as well as a commentator and pundit forESPN andSuperSport.[7] Initially a quick, skilfulleft winger, he moved tocentral midfield later in his career. Barnes won twoLeague titles and twoFA Cups withLiverpool. He was also anFA Cup runner-up withWatford, Liverpool andNewcastle United. He earned 79 international caps forEngland.
Barnes was born and raised in Jamaica as the son of a military officer fromTrinidad and Tobago and aJamaican mother. He moved toLondon, England, with his family when he was 12 years old. He joined Watford aged 17 in 1981, before playing 296 competitive games for them, scoring 85 goals. He debuted for England in 1983, and in 1987 joined Liverpool for £900,000. In his ten seasons there, Liverpool won the then-top-flightFirst Division twice and the FA Cup twice. He scored 106 goals in 403 matches. By the time of his last cap, in 1995, he had more caps than any otherblack England player. After two years at Newcastle United, he ended his playing career atCharlton Athletic in 1999. Barnes had eight months asCeltic head coach when his former Liverpool managerKenny Dalglish wasdirector of football. He has since managed theJamaica national team, in 2008–09, and English clubTranmere Rovers, for four months in 2009.
Barnes was thePFA Players' Player of the Year once (in 1987–88) and theFootball Writers' Association Footballer of the Year twice (in 1987–88 and 1989–90). In 2005, he was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame. In 2006, in a poll of Liverpool fans' favourite players, Barnes came fifth; a year later,FourFourTwo magazine named him Liverpool's best all-time player. In 2016,The Times readers voted him England's greatest-ever left-footed player.[8]
Barnes has published two books:John Barnes: The Autobiography (1999), which was followed byThe Uncomfortable Truth About Racism (2021), both of which were met with a largely positive reception.[9] In 2022, he returned to Liverpool as an official Club Ambassador.[10]
Barnes was born in Jamaica, toRoderick Kenrick "Ken" Barnes (aTrinidadian) and Frances Jeanne Hill (aJamaican).[11] Ken Barnes hailed fromPort of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago emigrating to Jamaica in 1956 as a member of theWest India Regiment. He joined the Jamaica Defence Force when formed after the nation's 1962 independence when he was initially commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Jamaica Regiment. In 1973, he was promoted to colonel remaining in the army until retiring in 1989. While in the army, he was a semi-professional footballer for aJamaica National Premier League club and also captained theJamaica national football team.[12][13] Barnes spent his early childhood living in Jamaica's biggest military base,[14] playing football and living a disciplined life. His father was president of the Jamaica Amateur Swimming Association and later formed Jamaica's firstbobsleigh team.[13]
Barnes' father was a hugesquash and football fan who encouraged his son to pursue sports, having named him after Welsh footballerJohn Charles.[15] Ken Barnes, who was promoted to Colonel in 1973,[13] was appointed Defence adviser to theHigh Commission of Jamaica, London (1976–1981),[13] and Barnes moved toLondon with his family in January 1976,[16] when he was 12 years old. He attended therugby-playingSt Marylebone Grammar School[17] then a short stint atHaverstock School,Camden Town.[18] While at school he played four years of youth football at the Stowe Boys Club inPaddington.[19]
Barnes was noticed byWatford as a teenager while playing for Middlesex League club Sudbury Court.[20] After a successful trial game in Watford's reserves, Barnes signed on 14 July 1981 for the fee of a set of kits.[21]
Barnes debuted aged 17 as a substitute on 5 September 1981 in aFootball League Second Division 1–1 home draw withOldham Athletic. With managerGraham Taylor, Watford were eight months away from completing a five-year rise from the Fourth Division to the First.
Barnes quickly established himself as a regular player and scored 12 Second Division goals as Watford were promoted, as runners-up to fierce rivalsLuton Town to thetop flight of English football at the end of season 1981–82. Watford finished runners-up for the League title[22] toLiverpool the season after. Watford lost the1984 FA Cup final as under-dogs 2–0 toEverton.[23] Watford lost a1986–87 FA Cup semi-final toTottenham Hotspur.
At the end of the 1986–87 season, Taylor called time on his 10-year spell as Watford manager to take charge atAston Villa.[24] His successor,Dave Bassett, resigned to losing Barnes to a bigger club, gaveAlex Ferguson the chance to sign Barnes forManchester United. Ferguson rejected the offer still having faith in United's left wingerJesper Olsen. Ferguson later admitted that he regretted not signing Barnes, especially as Barnes helped extend Liverpool's dominance in England by three seasons, while Olsen fell out of favour atOld Trafford and had left by the end of 1988, with his successorsRalph Milne andDanny Wallace failing to live up to expectations. Ferguson's United waited until 1990 to win a major trophy and 1993 to win the league title.[25] Barnes left Watford after scoring 65 goals in 233 league appearances.[26]
Barnes arrived atKenny Dalglish'sLiverpool in the same close season as England teammatePeter Beardsley and linked up with new signingsJohn Aldridge andRay Houghton.[27] He signed for the club on 9 June 1987. He debuted for theReds along with Beardsley on 15 August in the 2–1 league win atArsenal at Highbury. After nine minutes, Barnes and Beardsley combined to set up Aldridge to score. Barnes' first Liverpool goal was on 12 September beatingOxford United 2–0 at Anfield.[28]
In Barnes' first Liverpool season, they won the League title, remaining undefeated for the first twenty-nine games of the season. Barnes' fifteen Liverpool league goals in his first season there was second only to John Aldridge. The 2–1 defeat atNottingham Forest on 2 April was the last of only two league defeats that season. Eleven days later, Barnes, Beardsley, Houghton and Aldridge were instrumental in Liverpool's 5–0 home win over Forest described byTom Finney as "One of the finest exhibition I've seen the whole time I've played and watched the game. You couldn't see it bettered anywhere, not even in Brazil."[29][30] The double however was thwarted byLawrie Sanchez'Wimbledon goal beating Liverpool 1–0 in the1988 FA Cup final. Barnes was a key performer on the "Anfield Rap"; the club's cup final song that UK charted at number 3. Barnes was voted PFA Player of the Year.[28]
In the summer of 1988,Ian Rush re-signed for Liverpool. Following the death of 96 Liverpool fans in April 1989 as a result of theHillsborough disaster, Barnes attended several funerals and visited the injured in hospital. He pulled out of an England international friendly in order to fulfil these public duties.[31] Liverpool won the1989 FA Cup final with a 3–2 victory overMerseyside rivalsEverton, with Barnes creating goals from the left wing for Rush. In the1988–89 title decider at Anfield, Arsenal'sMichael Thomas' 92nd minute, league winning goal occurred in their counter-attack 17 seconds after Barnes lost ball possession attempting to dribble pastKevin Richardson.[32]
Barnes played in the 1990 title winning side at Liverpool and scored 22 league goals from the left wing – the highest goal tally of his career.Ian Rush scored four fewer league goals than Barnes. Barnes was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, and expectations from England managerBobby Robson were also high, seeing Barnes as a key component in the buildup to the1990 FIFA World Cup.[33][34][35] Beardsley has since said Barnes at the end of the 1980s was "The best player I ever played with, bar none. For three or four years at the end of the '80s, John was possibly the best player in the world."[36]
Barnes continued to play regularly for Liverpool and England into the 1990s. In the1990–91 season, he scored 16 league goals.Arsenal were league champions in the season of Dalglish's resignation and his replacement byGraeme Souness as manager.[37] Liverpool had qualified for the1991–92 UEFA Cup, being readmitted to European competitions a year after the ban on all other English clubs in European competitions since theHeysel disaster in 1985 had been lifted. This was the first time Barnes had played in European competitions since Watford's1983–84 UEFA Cup campaign. However, Barnes missed most of the1991–92 season due to a succession of injuries and played just 12 league games, scoring once, as Liverpool finished sixth in the league – their lowest finish in two decades and the first time since 1981 that they had failed to finish champions or runners-up.[38] Liverpool won the1992 FA Cup final, but Barnes missed the game through injury. The next month in June he was injured playing for England inHelsinki in a warm up game beforeEuro 92. Barnes was out injured for five months. He never recovered his explosive burst of speed that had been a key element of his play. He was now past his playing peak.[39]
Barnes and several other senior players had frosty relationships with Souness during this period as the manager tried to impose new methods quickly. Many senior pros resented his hard discipline approach as well as the increased pressure in training.[40] Barnes also once had to make a public apology to Souness after he gave an interview criticising the tactics employed by the manager before an important match.[41] Young teammateRobbie Fowler also said in his autobiography that Souness felt at the time Barnes was past his best, but in Fowler's (and others') opinion he still had a lot to offer and was still one of the most talented players at the club.[42]
Souness later stated in his autobiography that Barnes, due to his injuries, was now taking a "less demanding" central midfieldplaymaker's role as opposed to a goalscoring winger. Despite the effects of the injuries, Barnes was still regarded as one of the club and country's best players and Souness noted that Barnes "Retained his quality on the ball, using it well and rarely losing possession".[40]Mark Walters, who had played for Souness atRangers, had been purchased as cover/competition for Barnes but failed to displace him.
After Liverpool's league title in 1990, they were usurped by Arsenal,Leeds United,Manchester United andBlackburn Rovers each winning the league at least once. UnderRoy Evans, Barnes and younger players likeSteve McManaman,Jamie Redknapp and Fowler (who had been given their debuts by either Dalglish or Souness) won the1994–95 Football League Cup and were1996 FA Cup final runners-up due toEric Cantona's goal that gave United a secondleague and FA Cup double in three seasons. Liverpool'sSpice Boys team drew stinging criticism for wearing matching cream Armani suits to the final.[43]
By the mid-1990s, Barnes had been moved from the left wing to the position of a holding midfielder. He often captained the side in1995–96 when regular captain Rush lost his place to new signingStan Collymore. When Rush departed to Leeds United at the season's end Barnes became full-time captain. Barnes created the final goal after a dribble and passing movement for Collymore duringLiverpool's 4–3 win against Newcastle at Anfield, which is often considered the greatest game in Premier League history.[44]
Jamie Carragher debuted for the Liverpool first team in January 1997 and said that despite the 33-year-old Barnes now being past his peak, he was still the best player at the club. "Technically, he's the best player I've ever trained or played with, he was great with both feet, they were both exactly the same. I'd say he's the best finisher I've ever played with (includingTorres, Fowler, Owen). Barnes never used to blast his shots – they'd just get placed right in the corner. You speak with the players from those great Liverpool sides and ask them who the best player they played with was and they all say John Barnes," Carragher commented.[45]
On 13 August 1997, three months before his 34th birthday, after 10 years at Liverpool with 407 appearances, 108 goals, and five major trophies, Barnes left on a free transfer. He had missed just three Premier League games in his final season at Anfield, scoring four goals (including a memorable late winner againstSouthampton just after Christmas) as they had led the table for much of the first half of the season before being overhauled by eventual champions Manchester United at the end of January and having to settle for a fourth-place finish.Paul Ince, with a completely contrasting combative style, was signed fromInter Milan to replace Barnes in central midfield.[46]
Barnes was subsequently snapped up by former teammate and managerKenny Dalglish, who was managingNewcastle United. Although an approach had already been made byHarry Redknapp ofWest Ham United, Barnes had agreed in principle to join them, until at the final moment Dalglish called him, and Barnes changed his mind. In the1997–98 season, Barnes played up front, mostly, deputising forAlan Shearer after he was injured for most of the season, and Barnes ended up Newcastle's top league scorer with six goals, highlighting theMagpies' lack of ability to score in the absence of the injured Shearer, whileLes Ferdinand andPeter Beardsley had both been sold.[47][48] Former Liverpool colleagueIan Rush and England colleagueStuart Pearce were also drafted in for the 1997–98 season. Pearce has since stated in his autobiography,Psycho, that he felt Barnes was overweight by the time he joined Newcastle and that both Barnes and Rush had less desire than himself to win at that stage in their careers as they had already won everything, and that they could have had more of an edge to them.[49]
Newcastle (the previous season'sPremier League runners-up) endured a disappointing league campaign and finished 13th, although they did reach the1998 FA Cup final, and Barnes went onto the field for the fourthFA Cup final of his career as the club finished runners-up. Additionally, Barnes played in the UEFA Champions League, including in the club's 3-2 victory over Barcelona. Following the sacking of Dalglish early in the1998–99 season, he was left isolated and shunned along with a number of Dalglish andKeegan era players including Pearce andRob Lee. Barnes with many others was dropped from the first team by new managerRuud Gullit and spent several months in the reserves despite, in his opinion, "excelling in training" and showing he had lost none of his quality if some of his pace. He felt that himself and others were deliberately being cold shouldered to make it known Gullit wanted his own players in; Barnes had worked briefly with Gullit during the 1998 World Cup ITV commentary team, and they had played numerous international matches played against each other in the 1980s and 1990s, but they were not friends. Barnes knew it was the last straw when even hisMBE fromthe Queen was overlooked by Gullit after a presentation had been given to Pearce for receiving one – this was in the winter of 1998 and he knew he was unwanted.[46] Barnes left the club on a free transfer to newly promotedCharlton Athletic on 10 February 1999.
Barnes made his debut forCharlton Athletic on 13 February 1999, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 home win overLiverpool.[50] He made a further 11 league appearances that season, mostly as a substitute, and did not score any goals.[50] Defeat on the final day of the season relegated theAddicks back to Division One, and Barnes announced his retirement as a player after 20 years.
During his short spell asCeltic manager, Barnes would later register as a player, although he did not make an appearance for the Scottish side.[50]
During his playing career, Barnes (like other Black players of his era) was frequently the target ofracial abuse from the terraces. At one of his first appearances at Anfield, Barnes said that thetea lady had, intentionally or unintentionally, served tea to all the players in the lounge except him, and he made a joke about it by asking light-heartedly, "Is it because I'm Black?"[46] As well as being abused by opposition players, on occasions Barnes reported overhearing teammates making racist remarks towards other black players in opposition teams. One instance of racial abuse by a section of Everton supporters in theMerseyside derby at Anfield led toEverton chairmanPhilip Carter disowning the offending supporters, branding them "scum".[51]
The highest profile racial incident of his career was captured in a photograph where Barnes, in full Liverpool kit and mid-match, casually backheeled away abanana which had been hurled at him during a 1988 match with Everton atGoodison Park.[51][52]
Although born in Jamaica, Barnes had no intention of representing Jamaica at international level as the "Reggae Boyz had not yet made a significant mark on world football and he was eager to get to the game's biggest stage".[53]
At the time of Barnes' international career, FIFA's national team eligibility criteria allowed British passport holders to represent one of the British football associations if they had no blood ties to theUnited Kingdom. Barnes had already planned to represent England where he had lived since the age of 12.[54] Barnes said: "the only reason I played for England was because they were the first to ask...ifScotland had asked [first]...You go and play for Scotland."[53]
Barnes debuted forBobby Robson'sEngland on 28 May 1983 as a second-half substitute for Watford teammateLuther Blissett in a 0–0 draw atNorthern Ireland'sWindsor Park in theBritish Championship.[55] Blissett was the fifth and Barnes the seventh black full England football internationals.
England failed to qualify for the1984 European Championships, so instead touredSouth America. On 10 June 1984, againstBrazil, Barnes dribbled through several Brazilian defenders and roundedRoberto Costa to score ina friendly match atRio de Janeiro'sEstádio do Maracanã.[56][57] In his early England days, he and fellow black playerMark Chamberlain were subjected to threats from racist groups. Barnes was abused by supporters of theNational Front on the plane back from South America in June 1984; with the group claiming that England had only won 1–0 against Brazil because Barnes' goal "didn't count".[58]
Robson did not use Barnes at the1986 World Cup until the quarter-final with 15 minutes left when trailing 2–0 againstArgentina.[55] (BBCcommentatorBarry Davies shouted:"Go on! Run at them!" when Barnes was given the ball), setting up a goal forGary Lineker and laying on another chance denied by the head of Lineker's Argentine marker. England were eliminated with Barnes praised for his contribution and many asked why he had not played more nor in previous games. It was after the World Cup that Barnes became a British passport holder. Speaking in 2008, Barnes said "I don't even know if theEnglish F.A. didn't know that I wasn't born there and wasn't brought up there...maybe I played (for England) illegally, right?"[53]
As part of a front four with Lineker,Peter Beardsley, andChris Waddle, England lost all three of their group games at the1988 European Championships. However, Robson stayed in his job.[59]
Barnes pulled out of England's first international game after the Hillsborough disaster due to grief he felt at the time and the game coinciding with a funeral.[60] In his absence, England won the World Cup qualifier againstAlbania 5–0 atWembley on 26 April 1989.[61]
In the lead up to the1990 World Cup, Barnes played several times as a forward alongside Lineker, and in a warm up game against Uruguay played well and scored a halfvolley from aStuart Pearce cross. Barnes again rapped this time inNew Order's UK Number 1, "World in Motion", tie-in song. At the World Cup, he injured hisgroin againstBelgium, shortly after his volleyed goal was wrongly disallowed for offside. England went out toWest Germany onpenalties in the semi-final.[62]
In June 1992 against Finland in Helsinki in England's last warm up game before the1992 European Championships, he tore his achilles tendon. He was injured for five months. In his absence England were eliminated at the group phase. On his return he had lost his explosive burst of speed and was now past his peak.[39]
In a Wembley1994 World Cup qualifier againstSan Marino, Barnes was booed by an entire section of England fans after the whole team played poorly. Barnes later believed an article attributed toJimmy Greaves in theDaily Mirror, which cited his supposed support for theWest Indies cricket team and questioned his loyalty to the England team, had influenced the crowd to boo.[46]
He earned a surprise England recall in 1994 underTerry Venables and was in the squad in the run up toEuro 96 after improved form for Liverpool, although he was not selected for the final tournament squad despite England not having an established left-sided alternative.[63]
Barnes' 79 caps (10 goals) made him England's record capped black player for a time. Compared to his club form, he was never seen as a player who peaked wearing an England shirt. Robson described him as the "Greatest enigma" of his career; whilst including him for his all time dream team England squad of all the players he had picked as manager in his 1990 book "Against All Odds" (placing him on the bench), he was baffled at Barnes's inconsistency. He described Barnes as being a player of "the highest calibre" but sometimes being unable to reach for that bit extra when he or captainBryan Robson shouted at him to take more players on.[46]
Barnes has since said he felt the systems England played were "rigid" focusing on speed, aggression, and attacking through the centre rather than patient, passing play. He also said he could receive the ball as few as six or seven times in a game whereas at Liverpool he may receive it more than twenty times, and he had more freedom under Kenny Dalglish who did not ask him to stay on the left wing all the time. England also had a very different system to Liverpool at the time, who were much more free-flowing, and later said that to have got the best out of him, they would have needed a similar system to the one used by Dalglish, which was never likely to happen. He also citedGlenn Hoddle andChris Waddle as players he felt England were unable to get the best out of.[46]
Newspapers at the time of his England career even queried whether his disciplinarian upbringing in Jamaica to a military family and rumoured beatings as a child from his parents had contributed to his underperformance as an England footballer.[46]
After 12 years Barnes won his 79th and last cap on 6 September 1995 in a 0–0 friendly draw withColombia at Wembley that contained extrovert Colombian goalkeeperRené Higuita's 'Scorpion Kick.'[64] Barnes was in the top ten most capped players list for eleven years untilDavid Beckham and thenGary Neville edged him from ninth to 11th.
In 1999,Tony Adams picked Barnes to be in his England dream team in his bookAddicted, citing that Barnes "could pass, move, dribble, had Brazilian style movement... what more could you want?" He also backed Barnes's view that England at times used rigid systems.[65]
In a "dream ticket" style move, Barnes was appointed head coach ofCeltic on 8 June 1999, working underKenny Dalglish as director of football. After his appointment he later re-registered himself as a player but never played a competitive game for Celtic. He was sacked 8 months into his tenure following a home 3–11999–2000 Scottish Cup defeat by First Division clubInverness Caledonian Thistle in February. The result led to the newspaper headline, "Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious". Dalglish took over first-team duties until the end of the season.[66] Although Dalglish won the League Cup in the process, his contract was not renewed and the board decided to replace him withMartin O'Neill.
Source:[67]
Barnes entered discussions with theJamaica Football Federation in September 2008 regarding the possibility of him managing theJamaica national team.[68] On 16 September 2008, Barnes was appointed as manager of Jamaica announcing Mike Commane as his assistant. Barnes guided his new Jamaican charges to a first-place finish in the2008 Caribbean Championships, qualifying as the topCaribbean side for the2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[69]
In February 2009, Barnes told Sky Sports that he wanted to return to club management if the opportunity arose.[70] It was reported in May 2009 that Barnes contactedEnglish League Two sidePort Vale to see whether he could replace out-going managerDean Glover.[71] Ultimately, though, the potential move to Port Vale did not happen. Instead, on 14 June 2009 he confirmed that he was to be appointed manager ofLeague One sideTranmere Rovers.
Barnes was officially named as manager ofTranmere Rovers on 15 June 2009, withJason McAteer assisting him.[72] He got off to a disastrous start, with Tranmere only winning three of their first fourteen games. On 9 October 2009, Barnes was sacked by the club six days after a 5–0 defeat at Millwall and a run of just two wins from eleven league games.[73]
Former England internationalTom Finney remarked that "players like John Barnes come along just once in a lifetime."[74] Twice in his career, Barnes was votedFootball Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He also won thePFA Players' Player of the Year. Barnes was voted England's "greatest left foot" by readers ofThe Times in 2016, ahead ofChris Waddle andJimmy Greaves.[8] Barnes was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.
The Liverpool fans' adoration for "Digger" (he was nicknamed after the characterDigger Barnes in the American soap operaDallas)[75] was emphasised when he finished in the top 5 of the poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop which was conducted by theofficial Liverpool Football Club web site in the summer of 2006. More than 110,000 supporters worldwide voted for their 10 favourite players of all time, Barnes finished 5th behindRobbie Fowler (4th),Ian Rush (3rd),Steven Gerrard (2nd) and the man that signed him three times (for Liverpool, Newcastle and Celtic) Kenny Dalglish (1st).[76]
He also appears frequently as a selection inFourFourTwo magazine's Perfect XI, a choice in which current and former professional footballers select the best 11 players they have ever seen, played with or against, including selections byMichael Owen,Steve McManaman,Peter Beardsley,Ian Wright andJamie Carragher.[77]
He performed theKeith Allen-penned rap section ofNew Order's "World in Motion" as well as appearing on the track "Anfield Rap", aLiverpool FA Cup final song, rapping the lyrics "Liverpool FC is hard as hell/United, Tottenham, Arsenal",[78] and performing lead rap in Liverpool's '96 cup final song "Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove)".
"World in Motion" reached #1 in the charts and spent 18 weeks in the UK top 75 (including re-releases in 2002 and 2010) although Barnes was only paid a flat rate of £200 and received no royalties.[79] "Anfield Rap" reached #3 and spent 6 weeks in the top 75, and "Pass & Move" reached #4 and spent 4 weeks in the top 75.
The rap portion of "World in Motion" is the most remembered part of the original song, becoming an iconic piece of English football culture in its own right, familiar to subsequent generations of England football fans not yet born by 1990.[80]
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Barnes was first married to and subsequently divorced Suzy, with whom he has two sons and two daughters. Barnes' second wife is called Andrea and they have two daughters and a son. They live in Wirral, Cheshire.[81]
With fellow former footballersLes Ferdinand andLuther Blissett, he founded Team48 Motorsport, a team aiming to promote young racing drivers of African-Caribbean background. In 2008, the team entered theBritish Touring Car Championship, runningAlfa Romeos forwhite Jamaican Matthew Gore and 18-year-old black Briton Darelle Wilson. However, the project never got off the starting line and the team failed to show up for any of the races.[82]
A few days after being sacked by Tranmere, Barnes was declaredbankrupt. He has described the bankruptcy as a technicality, saying: "The bankruptcy issue is a tax oversight which is being dealt with."[83][84] Barnes' claims of the bankruptcy being a "tax oversight" proved true and the order was quickly overturned.[85]
As a sporting icon in England in the early 1990s Barnes appeared in a commercial for the energy drinkLucozade, launching their Lucozade Sport drink.[86] Barnes became apundit onITV and a presenter of the football coverage onFive as well as having his own weekly football discussion show onLFC TV calledThe John Barnes Show, every Thursday. He also worked as an ambassador forSave the Children. Barnes has appeared on several shows and media outlets to promote his charity work, including a notable appearance onSoccer AM in February 2009 performing the "World in Motion" rap and a parody of the mistimed advert byITV in the previous week'sEverton vs.LiverpoolFA Cup tie, with Barnes' "Under-11 World Champion Baton-twirling" routine missed by mock commercials.[87][88][89] In 2001, Barnes appeared onLily Savage's Blankety Blank.[90]
In 2000, Barnes presented a one off soccer special withLisa Rogers entitled The Pepsi World Challenge, devised and produced by Nathan Carey and airing on Channel 5 in the UK. The show was edited with local presenters around the world.[91]
He was the subject of aThis is Your Life programme in 2001, when he was surprised byMichael Aspel.[92]
Barnes competed in thefifth series ofStrictly Come Dancing which started in October 2007. His dance partner wasNicole Cutler. They finished in seventh place. He was also the first male celebrity to receive a ten from the judges, which he got for hissalsa.
After an absence of nearly eight years, Barnes returned to football in late 2007. He agreed to run several coaching clinics across the Caribbean for young players with the possibility of them joiningPremier League sideSunderland on trial.[93]
He made a guest appearance as himself in episode 10 of Series 6 ofWaterloo Road that was aired onBBC One on Wednesday, 27 October 2010.[94]
He has been used as a pundit inESPN's coverage of the 2009–10 FA Cup, and inSuperSport's coverage of the2010–11 UEFA Champions League, in South Africa.
He appeared onRussell Howard's Good News best bits show on Thursday, 15 December 2011, as his Mystery Guest. In the show he was dressed as Santa Claus and along withRussell Howard he performed his famous rap from New Order's "World in Motion".[95]
On 17 October 2012, Barnes featured in series 9, episode 9 of the BBC seriesWho Do You Think You Are?.[96]
Barnes has suggested theRooney Rule, used in theNational Football League (NFL), which requires teams to interview minority candidates for coaching positions, should be adopted by the Premier League.[97]
In 2016 in the run-up to the2016 EU referendum, Barnes refutedMichael Gove's claim that he wished the United Kingdom to leave theEuropean Union, clarifying that he supports continued UK membership of the EU.[98]
In January 2018, Barnes participated as a housemate on thetwenty-first series ofCelebrity Big Brother.[99]
On 21 February 2019, Barnes was a guest onQuestion Time, commenting on racism and discrimination in society.[100]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Watford | 1981–82 | Second Division | 36 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 14 |
| 1982–83 | First Division | 42 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 53 | 13 | |
| 1983–84 | First Division | 39 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 54 | 16 | |
| 1984–85 | First Division | 40 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 15 | |
| 1985–86 | First Division | 39 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 13 | |
| 1986–87 | First Division | 37 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 14 | |
| Total | 233 | 65 | 31 | 11 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 296 | 85 | ||
| Liverpool | 1987–88 | First Division | 38 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 17 |
| 1988–89 | First Division | 33 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 13 | |
| 1989–90 | First Division | 34 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 28 | |
| 1990–91 | First Division | 35 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 17 | |
| 1991–92 | First Division | 12 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 27 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 38 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 9 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 36 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 3 | |
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 47 | 7 | |
| Total | 314 | 84 | 51 | 16 | 26 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 403 | 106 | ||
| Newcastle United | 1997–98 | Premier League | 26 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 39 | 7 |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 40 | 7 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 1998–99 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Career total | 586 | 155 | 87 | 27 | 50 | 10 | 28 | 6 | 751 | 198 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1983 | 6 | 0 |
| 1984 | 9 | 3 | |
| 1985 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 5 | 3 | |
| 1988 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 1984 | Maracanã Stadium,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Brazil | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 18 June 1986 | Besiktas Inonu Stadium,Istanbul, Turkey |  Turkey | 4–0 | 8–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 3 | 5–0 | |||||
| 4 | 14 October 1987 | Wembley Stadium,London, England | Turkey | 1–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier |
| 5 | 3–0 | |||||
| 6 | 11 November 1987 | Red Star Stadium,Belgrade, Yugoslavia |  Yugoslavia | 2–0 | 4–1 | |
| 7 | 8 March 1989 | Qemal Stafa Stadium,Tirana, Albania |  Albania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 8 | 3 June 1989 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Poland | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 9 | 22 May 1990 |  Uruguay | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 28 April 1993 |  Netherlands | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| Team | Nation | From | To | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic |  Scotland | 10 June 1999 | 10 February 2000 | 29 | 19 | 2 | 8 | 65.51 |
| Jamaica |  Jamaica | 16 September 2008 | 30 June 2009 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 63.63[104] |
| Tranmere Rovers |  England | 15 June 2009 | 9 October 2009 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 25.00 |
| Total | 52 | 29 | 7 | 16 | 055.77 | |||
Liverpool
Jamaica
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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