John Barnes

This article is about the English international footballer. For other people, see John Barnes (disambiguation).

John Barnes
MBE
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 Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football 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 for ESPN and SuperSport.[7] Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to central midfield later in his career. Barnes won two League titles and two FA Cups with Liverpool. He was also an FA Cup runner-up with Watford, Liverpool and Newcastle United. He earned 79 international caps for England.

Barnes was born and raised in Jamaica as the son of a military officer from Trinidad and Tobago and a Jamaican mother. He moved to London, 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-flight First 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 other black England player. After two years at Newcastle United, he ended his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999. Barnes had eight months as Celtic head coach when his former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was director of football. He has since managed the Jamaica national team, in 2008–09, and English club Tranmere Rovers, for four months in 2009.

Barnes was the PFA Players' Player of the Year once (in 1987–88) and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year twice (in 1987–88 and 1989–90). In 2005, he was inducted into the English 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 by The 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]

  1. ^ a b c "John Barnes". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  2. ^ "John Barnes: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  3. ^ "John Charles Bryan Barnes - International Appearances". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  4. ^ "England's Best: The 50 Greatest to Have Ever Worn the 'Three Lions'". BleacherReport. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Liverpool Legend: Why John Barnes Is My Favourite Liverpool Player of All Time". Bleacher Report. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  6. ^ "A tribute to John Barnes: The footballer, the artist". Football 365. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. ^ "John Barnes joins ESPN". espn.co.uk. 24 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  8. ^ "John Barnes wins vote for England's greatest left foot". The Times. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  9. ^ East, Ben (14 November 2021). "In brief: The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism; The Manningtree Witches; The City of Mist". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  10. ^ "John Barnes appointed official ambassador of Liverpool FC". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 23 November 2022.