John Barnes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Barnes
MBE

Barnes in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth	(1963-11-07) 7 November 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Kingston, Jamaica
Height	5 feet 11 inches (1.81 m)
Playing position	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)
National team
1982–1983	England U21	3	(0)
1983–1995	England	79	(10)
Teams managed
1999–2000	Celtic
2008–2009	Jamaica
2009	Tranmere Rovers
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a famous former professional football player and manager. Many people think he is one of the greatest England players of all time.

Barnes started as a fast and skilled left winger. Later in his career, he moved to play in central midfield. He won two League titles and two FA Cups with Liverpool. He also played in FA Cup finals with Watford, Liverpool, and Newcastle United. He played 79 times for the England national team.

Barnes was born in Jamaica and moved to London, England, when he was 12. He joined Watford at 17 in 1981. He played 296 games for them, scoring 85 goals. He played his first game for England in 1983. In 1987, he joined Liverpool for £900,000. During his ten years there, Liverpool won the top league twice and the FA Cup twice. He scored 106 goals in 403 matches for Liverpool.

By 1995, he had played more games for England than any other black English player. After playing for Newcastle United for two years, he finished his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999. Barnes also managed Celtic for eight months. Later, he managed the Jamaica national team (2008–09) and Tranmere Rovers (2009).

Barnes won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award once (1987–88). He was also named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year twice (1987–88 and 1989–90). In 2005, he joined the English Football Hall of Fame. In 2006, Liverpool fans voted him their fifth favourite player ever. In 2016, The Times readers said he was England's best-ever left-footed player.

Barnes has written two books: John Barnes: The Autobiography (1999) and The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism (2021). In 2022, he became an official Club Ambassador for Liverpool.

Early Life and Moving to England

John Barnes was born in Jamaica. His father, Ken Barnes, was a military officer from Trinidad and Tobago. His mother, Frances Jeanne Hill, was Jamaican. John's father was a big fan of squash and football. He named John after the famous Welsh footballer John Charles.

John lived on Jamaica's biggest military base when he was young. He played football and learned discipline. In January 1976, when John was 12, his family moved to London, England. His father worked as a Defence adviser there. John went to school in London and played youth football at the Stowe Boys Club.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Watford

Watford noticed Barnes when he was a teenager playing for a local club. He signed with Watford on 14 July 1981, for a very small fee. He was just 17 years old.

Barnes played his first game for Watford on 5 September 1981. Watford was quickly moving up the football leagues. Barnes became a regular player and scored 12 goals as Watford got promoted to the top league in 1982. The next season, Watford finished second in the league, right behind Liverpool.

Watford reached the 1984 FA Cup final but lost 2–0 to Everton. Barnes was a key player for Watford. He scored 65 goals in 233 league games before leaving the club.

Joining Liverpool

Barnes joined Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool on 9 June 1987. Other new players like Peter Beardsley also joined at the same time. Barnes played his first game for Liverpool on 15 August in a 2–1 win against Arsenal. His first goal for Liverpool was on 12 September against Oxford United.

Barnes' plinth outside Anfield, celebrating his time with Liverpool.

In Barnes' first season, Liverpool won the League title. They were undefeated for the first 29 games! Barnes scored 15 league goals that season. Liverpool only lost two league games all season. However, they lost the 1988 FA Cup final 1–0 to Wimbledon. Barnes was voted PFA Player of the Year.

In 1989, after the Hillsborough disaster where 96 Liverpool fans died, Barnes went to many funerals. He also visited injured fans in the hospital. Liverpool won the 1989 FA Cup final 3–2 against Merseyside rivals Everton. Barnes helped create goals for Ian Rush in that game.

Liverpool won the league title again in 1990. Barnes scored 22 league goals that season, which was his highest ever. He was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. Peter Beardsley said that Barnes in the late 1980s was "The best player I ever played with, bar none." He even thought Barnes was "possibly the best player in the world."

Barnes representing Liverpool in Kristiansund, Norway, in 2012.

Barnes continued to play well for Liverpool and England in the 1990s. In the 1990–91 season, he scored 16 league goals. He missed most of the 1991–92 season because of injuries. Liverpool won the 1992 FA Cup final, but Barnes missed the game due to injury. After this, he lost some of his amazing speed.

Later, Barnes moved from playing on the left wing to a central midfield role. He often captained the team in the 1995–96 season. He became the full-time captain when Ian Rush left. Barnes helped create a famous goal for Stan Collymore in Liverpool's 4–3 win against Newcastle. This game is often called one of the greatest in Premier League history.

Jamie Carragher, a young player at Liverpool in 1997, said that even though Barnes was older, he was still the best player at the club. Carragher said Barnes was "Technically, he's the best player I've ever trained or played with."

On 13 August 1997, after 10 years at Liverpool, Barnes left the club. He had played 407 games, scored 108 goals, and won five major trophies.

Time at Newcastle United

Barnes then joined Newcastle United. His former Liverpool teammate and manager, Kenny Dalglish, was managing Newcastle. Barnes had almost joined West Ham United, but Dalglish called him, and he changed his mind.

In the 1997–98 season, Barnes often played as a forward because Alan Shearer was injured. Barnes was Newcastle's top league scorer with six goals. Newcastle finished 13th in the league but reached the 1998 FA Cup final, where they were runners-up. Barnes played in his fourth FA Cup final. He also played in the UEFA Champions League, including a 3-2 win over Barcelona.

After Dalglish was sacked, the new manager, Ruud Gullit, didn't want Barnes. Barnes felt he was being left out on purpose. He left Newcastle on 10 February 1999.

Playing for Charlton Athletic

Barnes joined Charlton Athletic on 10 February 1999. He played his first game for them on 13 February, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Liverpool. He played 11 more league games that season, mostly as a substitute, but didn't score. Charlton was relegated, and Barnes announced he was retiring as a player after 20 years.

He later registered as a player for Celtic during his time as manager, but he never played a competitive game for them.

Dealing with Racism

During his playing career, John Barnes, like other Black players at the time, often faced racial abuse from fans. At one of his first games at Anfield, he joked about being the only player not served tea, asking, "Is it because I'm Black?"

Sometimes, Barnes even heard his own teammates making racist comments about other Black players. In one famous incident during a game against Everton, a banana was thrown at him. Barnes calmly backheeled it away, showing how he dealt with such abuse.

International Career for England

Even though Barnes was born in Jamaica, he wanted to play for England. He had lived in England since he was 12. He said he played for England because they asked him first.

Barnes played his first game for Bobby Robson's England on 28 May 1983. It was a 0–0 draw against Northern Ireland. Barnes was one of the first Black players to play for the full England team.

On 10 June 1984, Barnes scored a famous goal against Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. He dribbled past several defenders and the goalkeeper to score. In his early days with England, he and other Black players faced threats from racist groups.

Barnes didn't play much at the 1986 World Cup until the quarter-final against Argentina. He came on with 15 minutes left and helped set up a goal for Gary Lineker. Many people wondered why he hadn't played more.

Barnes was part of the England team that played in the 1988 European Championships. England lost all their group games.

In the lead-up to the 1990 World Cup, Barnes played well and scored a great goal against Uruguay. He also performed the rap section in "World in Motion", the official England World Cup song, which became a number one hit. At the World Cup, he got injured against Belgium. England lost to West Germany in the semi-final on penalties.

In June 1992, Barnes tore his Achilles tendon while playing for England. This injury kept him out for five months and affected his speed. He was never quite the same player after that.

Barnes earned a surprise recall to the England squad in 1994. He played his 79th and last game for England on 6 September 1995. It was a 0–0 friendly draw against Colombia. For a time, his 79 caps made him England's most-capped Black player.

Compared to his club form, Barnes was sometimes seen as inconsistent for England. He felt that England's playing style was too "rigid" and didn't allow him the freedom he had at Liverpool.

Managerial Career

Managing Celtic

On 8 June 1999, Barnes became the head coach of Celtic. He worked under his former Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish. Barnes was sacked after only eight months. This happened after Celtic lost 3–1 to a lower-division team, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, in the 1999–2000 Scottish Cup.

Leading Jamaica's National Team

In September 2008, Barnes started talking with the Jamaica Football Federation. On 16 September 2008, he was named manager of the Jamaica national team. Barnes led Jamaica to win the 2008 Caribbean Championships. This meant they qualified for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Managing Tranmere Rovers

On 15 June 2009, Barnes was officially named manager of Tranmere Rovers. However, his time there was difficult. Tranmere won only three of their first 14 games. On 9 October 2009, Barnes was sacked by the club after just four months.

Awards and Recognition

The famous former England player Tom Finney once said that "players like John Barnes come along just once in a lifetime." Barnes won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award twice. He also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.

In 2016, readers of The Times newspaper voted Barnes as England's "greatest left foot." In 2005, he was added to the English Football Hall of Fame for his great contributions to English football.

Liverpool fans loved Barnes, calling him "Digger." In a 2006 poll of Liverpool's favourite players, Barnes finished fifth. He often appears in "Perfect XI" lists chosen by other professional footballers.

Music and Media Appearances

John Barnes is also known for his music career. He performed the rap section in New Order's song "World in Motion". This song was the official England World Cup song for 1990 and reached number one in the charts. He also rapped in Liverpool's FA Cup final songs, "Anfield Rap" and "Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove)".

The rap from "World in Motion" is very famous and is still loved by England football fans today.

Barnes has also worked as a football pundit on TV. He has presented football shows and had his own discussion show on LFC TV. He has also worked as an ambassador for Save the Children.

In 2007, Barnes competed in the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. He finished in seventh place and was the first male celebrity to get a perfect score of ten from the judges for his salsa dance.

He has appeared on other TV shows like Waterloo Road and Who Do You Think You Are?. In 2018, he was a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother.

Personal Life

John Barnes has two sons and two daughters from his first marriage. He is now married to Andrea, and they have two daughters and a son.

With other former footballers, he started Team48 Motorsport. This team aimed to help young racing drivers from African-Caribbean backgrounds.

Barnes has also spoken about important issues. He has suggested that the "Rooney Rule," used in American football, should be used in the Premier League. This rule makes sure that minority candidates are interviewed for coaching jobs. In 2016, he said he supported the United Kingdom staying in the European Union.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Source:

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barnes goal.

List of international goals scored by John Barnes

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

Managerial Statistics

As of 6 September 2009

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
Tranmere Rovers	England	15 June 2009	9 October 2009	12	3	1	8	25.00
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.&&&&&052	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&055.77000055.77

Honours

Player

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1987–88, 1989–90
• FA Cup: 1988–89, 1991–92
• Football League Cup: 1994–95
• FA Charity Shield: 1988, 1989, 1990

Manager

Jamaica

• Caribbean Cup: 2008

Individual

• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1988
• FWA Footballer of the Year: 1988, 1990
• PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91
• PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007
• Member of the Order of the British Empire: 1998
• Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame: 2005

See also

In Spanish: John Barnes para niños

• List of England international footballers born outside England