John Barnes facts for kids
Barnes in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Charles Bryan Barnes | ||
| Date of birth | 7 November 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Kingston, Jamaica | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.81 m) | ||
| 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 | England | 79 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Celtic | ||
| 2008–2009 | Jamaica | ||
| 2009 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a famous football player and coach from England. Many people think he's one of the best players ever for England and Liverpool. Today, Barnes writes books and works as a football commentator and expert for TV.
He started as a fast and skilled player on the left side of the field (a winger). Later in his career, he played more in the middle of the field. He helped Liverpool win the top league title twice and the FA Cup twice. He also played 79 games for England.
Barnes was born and grew up in Jamaica. He moved to London, England, when he was 12 years old. He joined Watford football club in 1981 when he was 17. He played 296 games for Watford and scored 85 goals.
He first played for England in 1983. In 1987, he joined Liverpool for £900,000. During his ten years at Liverpool, the team won the top league twice and the FA Cup twice. He scored 106 goals in 403 matches for Liverpool.
By 1995, when he played his last game for England, he had played more games than any other black player for the national team. After playing for Newcastle United for two years, he finished his playing career at Charlton Athletic in 1999.
Barnes also spent eight months as the head coach for Celtic. His former Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, was the director of football there. He later coached the Jamaica national team from 2008 to 2009. He also managed the English club Tranmere Rovers for four months in 2009.
Barnes won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award once (in 1987–88). He also won the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award twice (in 1987–88 and 1989–90). In 2005, he was added to the English Football Hall of Fame. In 2006, Liverpool fans voted him their fifth favourite player. A year later, FourFourTwo magazine called him Liverpool's best player ever. In 2016, readers of The Times newspaper voted him England's greatest left-footed player.
Barnes has written two books. The first was John Barnes: The Autobiography (1999). The second was The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism (2021). Both books were well-received. In 2022, he became an official Club Ambassador for Liverpool.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to England
John Barnes was born in Jamaica. His father, Ken Barnes, was from Trinidad and Tobago and was a military officer. His mother, Frances Jeanne Hill, was Jamaican. Ken Barnes was also a semi-professional footballer and captained the Jamaica national football team.
John spent his early childhood on Jamaica's biggest military base. He played a lot of football and lived a very disciplined life. His father loved sports, especially squash and football. He encouraged John to play sports and even named him after a Welsh footballer, John Charles.
In January 1976, when John was 12 years old, his family moved to London, England. His father was working as a Defence adviser there. John went to school in London and played youth football for Stowe Boys Club in Paddington.
Playing for Clubs
Starting at Watford
John Barnes was spotted by Watford when he was a teenager. He was playing for a local club called Sudbury Court. After a good try-out game, Barnes signed with Watford on 14 July 1981.
He played his first game for Watford when he was 17. This was on 5 September 1981. Watford was a team that had quickly moved up from the Fourth Division to the First Division in just five years.
Barnes quickly became a regular player for Watford. He scored 12 goals as Watford earned promotion to the top league in England. The next season, Watford finished second in the league, right behind Liverpool. Watford also reached the 1984 FA Cup final but lost 2–0 to Everton.
At the end of the 1986–87 season, Watford's manager, Graham Taylor, left the club. The new manager knew that Barnes would likely move to a bigger club. Alex Ferguson, who managed Manchester United, had a chance to sign Barnes but decided not to. Ferguson later said he regretted this decision. Barnes left Watford after scoring 65 goals in 233 league games.
Becoming a Liverpool Legend
Barnes joined Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool on 9 June 1987. Other new players like Peter Beardsley and Ray Houghton also joined the team. Barnes played his first game for Liverpool on 15 August in a 2–1 win against Arsenal. He scored his first Liverpool goal on 12 September against Oxford United.
In his first season at Liverpool, the team won the League title. They did not lose any of their first twenty-nine games. Barnes scored fifteen league goals, which was the second-highest on the team. Liverpool only lost two league games that season. One famous game was a 5–0 win over Nottingham Forest. A famous football expert, Tom Finney, called it "One of the finest exhibitions I've seen."
Liverpool reached the 1988 FA Cup final but lost 1–0 to Wimbledon. Barnes was a key player in the team's cup final song, "Anfield Rap," which became popular. Barnes was also voted the PFA Player of the Year.
In 1988, Ian Rush rejoined Liverpool. After the sad Hillsborough disaster in April 1989, where 96 Liverpool fans died, Barnes went to many funerals. He also visited injured fans in the hospital. He even missed an England game to do these important duties.
Liverpool won the 1989 FA Cup final by beating their rivals Everton 3–2. Barnes helped create goals from the left wing. In the final game of the 1988–89 season, Liverpool lost the league title to Arsenal in the last minute.
Barnes was part of the Liverpool team that won the league title in 1990. He scored 22 league goals that season, which was the most goals he ever scored in a single season. He was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year again. Many people, including England manager Bobby Robson, thought Barnes was a very important player. Peter Beardsley said that Barnes was "The best player I ever played with, bar none."
Barnes continued to play regularly for Liverpool and England in the 1990s. In the 1990–91 season, he scored 16 league goals. Liverpool qualified for the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, which was the first time Barnes played in European competitions since his time at Watford.
However, Barnes missed most of the 1991–92 season because of injuries. He only played 12 league games and scored once. Liverpool finished sixth in the league, which was their lowest finish in twenty years. Liverpool won the 1992 FA Cup final, but Barnes missed the game due to injury. He also got injured playing for England in June 1992. These injuries meant he lost some of his amazing speed.
Barnes and some other experienced players had a difficult relationship with the new manager, Graeme Souness. Souness tried to change things quickly, and some players didn't like his strict approach. Barnes even had to apologize publicly after criticizing the manager's tactics.
Souness later said that because of his injuries, Barnes started playing a "less demanding" role in central midfield. Even with injuries, Barnes was still seen as one of the best players. He was still very good at controlling the ball and rarely lost it.
After Liverpool's league title in 1990, other teams like Arsenal and Manchester United started winning the league. Under manager Roy Evans, Barnes and younger players like Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler won the 1994–95 Football League Cup. They also reached the 1996 FA Cup final but lost to Manchester United.
By the mid-1990s, Barnes had moved from playing on the left wing to a defensive midfield role. He often captained the team in the 1995–96 season. When Ian Rush left, Barnes became the full-time captain. 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, who started playing for 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 for free. He had played 407 games, scored 108 goals, and won five major trophies.
Time at Newcastle United
Barnes then joined Newcastle United, where his former teammate and manager Kenny Dalglish was in charge. Barnes had almost joined West Ham United, but Dalglish called him at the last minute.
In the 1997–98 season, Barnes mostly played as a forward. He filled in for Alan Shearer, who was injured for most of the season. Barnes ended up being Newcastle's top league scorer with six goals. Former Liverpool player Ian Rush and England player Stuart Pearce also joined Newcastle that season.
Newcastle finished 13th in the league, which was disappointing. However, they did reach the 1998 FA Cup final, where Barnes played his fourth FA Cup final. They finished as runners-up. Barnes 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 in the first team. Barnes felt he was being ignored even though he was playing well in training. He left Newcastle on a free transfer to Charlton Athletic on 10 February 1999.
Playing for Charlton Athletic
Barnes played his first game for Charlton Athletic on 13 February 1999. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Liverpool. He played 11 more league games that season, mostly as a substitute, and didn't score any goals. Charlton was relegated back to Division One, and Barnes announced he was retiring as a player after 20 years.
Briefly at Celtic
During his short time as manager of Celtic, Barnes also registered himself as a player. However, he never played a competitive game for the Scottish team.
Dealing with Racism
During his football career, John Barnes, like other black players at the time, often faced unfair treatment from some fans. At one of his first games at Anfield, Barnes joked about being the only player not served tea by the tea lady, asking, "Is it because I'm Black?" He also heard teammates making unfair comments about other black players.
One famous moment happened during a game against Everton in 1988. A banana was thrown at him from the crowd. Barnes calmly backheeled it away, showing his skill and ignoring the unfair act. This moment was captured in a famous photograph.
Playing for England
Even though John Barnes was born in Jamaica, he wanted to play for England. At that time, the Jamaican national team was not as well-known in world football. Barnes had lived in England since he was 12. He said he played for England because they were the first country to ask him.
Barnes played his first game for Bobby Robson's England on 28 May 1983. This was in a 0–0 draw against Northern Ireland. He was one of the first black players to play for the full England team.
England did not qualify for the 1984 European Championships. Instead, they went on a tour to South America. On 10 June 1984, Barnes scored an amazing goal against Brazil. He dribbled past several defenders and the goalkeeper. In his early days with England, he and another black player, Mark Chamberlain, faced threats from unfair groups.
Barnes did not play much at the 1986 World Cup until the quarter-final against Argentina. He came on with 15 minutes left when England was losing 2–0. He quickly helped set up a goal for Gary Lineker. Many people wondered why he hadn't played more earlier in the tournament.
England lost all three of their group games at the 1988 European Championships. However, Bobby Robson stayed as manager.
Barnes missed England's first game after the Hillsborough disaster because he was very sad and had to attend funerals. England won that game without him.
Before the 1990 World Cup, Barnes played well as a forward alongside Lineker. He even scored a great goal in a warm-up game against Uruguay. Barnes also famously performed a rap in the song "World in Motion" by New Order, which became a UK Number 1 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 in a warm-up game before the 1992 European Championships. He was injured for five months. When he returned, he had lost some of his speed.
In a 1994 World Cup qualifier against San Marino, some England fans booed Barnes. He believed this was because of an article that questioned his loyalty to the England team.
He was surprisingly called back to the England squad in 1994 under manager Terry Venables. This was because he was playing well for Liverpool. However, he was not chosen for the final Euro 96 tournament squad.
Barnes played 79 games for England and scored 10 goals. For a while, he was the black player with the most caps for England. Compared to his club form, many felt he didn't play as consistently well for England. Bobby Robson called him the "Greatest enigma" because he was so talented but sometimes inconsistent.
Barnes said that England's playing style was too "rigid." He felt it focused too much on speed and attacking through the middle, rather than patient passing. He also said he had more freedom to play at Liverpool under Kenny Dalglish.
His 79th and last game for England was on 6 September 1995. It was a 0–0 friendly draw with Colombia. This game is famous for the Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita's 'Scorpion Kick.'
Coaching Career
Managing Celtic
On 8 June 1999, Barnes became the head coach of Celtic. He worked under Kenny Dalglish, who was the director of football. Barnes even registered himself as a player, but he never played a game for Celtic. He was sacked after only 8 months. This happened after Celtic lost 3–1 at home to a lower-division team, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, in February.
Coaching Jamaica
In September 2008, Barnes started talking with the Jamaica Football Federation. On 16 September 2008, he was officially named the manager of the Jamaica national team. He led Jamaica to win the 2008 Caribbean Cup, making them the top team in the Caribbean. This also helped them qualify for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In February 2009, Barnes said he wanted to return to club management. On 14 June 2009, he confirmed he would become the manager of Tranmere Rovers.
Managing Tranmere Rovers
Barnes officially became the manager of Tranmere Rovers on 15 June 2009. Jason McAteer was his assistant. The team had a tough start, winning only three of their first fourteen games. On 9 October 2009, Barnes was sacked by the club. This was after a 5–0 defeat and only two wins in eleven league games.
Awards and Recognition
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, who they nicknamed "Digger." In a 2006 poll of Liverpool fans' favourite players, Barnes finished 5th. He was behind Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Steven Gerrard, and Kenny Dalglish.
He is also often chosen in FourFourTwo magazine's "Perfect XI." This is where current and former professional footballers pick the best 11 players they have ever seen or played with.
Music Career
John Barnes is also known for his music. He performed the rap part in New Order's song "World in Motion," which was England's official song for the 1990 World Cup. This song reached number 1 in the UK charts.
He also appeared on "Anfield Rap," a Liverpool FA Cup final song, where he rapped some of the lyrics. He also performed the main rap in Liverpool's 1996 cup final song, "Pass & Move (It's the Liverpool Groove)".
The rap from "World in Motion" is very famous and is still remembered by many football fans today.
Personal Life
John Barnes was first married to Suzy, and they had two sons and two daughters. They later divorced. His second wife is Andrea, and they have two daughters and a son. They live in Wirral, Cheshire.
With other former footballers Les Ferdinand and Luther Blissett, he started Team48 Motorsport. This team aimed to help young racing drivers from African-Caribbean backgrounds.
A few days after being sacked by Tranmere, Barnes faced a temporary financial issue. He explained it as a "tax oversight" that was quickly resolved.
Media and Charity Work
In the early 1990s, John Barnes was a big sports star in England. He appeared in a TV commercial for the energy drink Lucozade Sport. He also became a football expert for ITV and a presenter for football coverage on Channel 5. He had his own weekly football show on LFC TV called The John Barnes Show. He also worked as an ambassador for the charity Save the Children.
Barnes has appeared on many TV shows to talk about his charity work. In 2001, he was featured on the TV show This is Your Life.
In 2007, Barnes competed in the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing. His dance partner was Nicole Cutler, and they finished in seventh place. He was the first male celebrity to get a perfect score of ten from the judges for his salsa dance.
In late 2007, Barnes returned to football by running coaching clinics in the Caribbean for young players. He also made a guest appearance as himself in an episode of the TV show Waterloo Road in 2010.
He has worked as a football expert for ESPN and SuperSport. In 2011, he appeared on Russell Howard's Good News dressed as Santa Claus and performed his famous "World in Motion" rap.
In 2012, Barnes was featured in the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?, which explores people's family history.
Barnes has suggested that the Premier League should use a rule similar to the "Rooney Rule" from American football. This rule requires teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.
In January 2018, Barnes was a housemate on the TV show Celebrity Big Brother. In February 2019, he was a guest on Question Time, where he spoke about racism and discrimination.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| 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 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
- Source:
| 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 | |
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barnes goal.
| 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 | 52 | 29 | 7 | 16 | 55.77 | |||
Honours and Achievements
Player Honours
Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1987–88, 1989–90 (won the top league title)
- FA Cup: 1988–89, 1991–92
- Football League Cup: 1994–95 (won the League Cup)
- FA Charity Shield: 1988, 1989, 1990 (won the Charity Shield)
Manager Honours
Jamaica
- Caribbean Cup: 2008 (won the Caribbean Cup)
Individual Awards
- PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1988 (voted best player by other players)
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1988, 1990 (voted best player by football writers)
- PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91 (chosen for the best team of the year)
- PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007 (chosen for the best team of the century)
- Member of the Order of the British Empire: 1998 (received an award from the Queen)
- Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame: 2005 (recognized as one of England's greatest players)
See also
In Spanish: John Barnes para niños
- List of England international footballers born outside England
