John Barnes (footballer)
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John Barnes (born November 7, 1963 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born English football player.
Barnes moved over to England as a boy and his talents as a schoolboy footballer were noticed by Watford, for whom he made his debut in 1981. Under manager Graham Taylor, Watford gained promotion to the top flight of English football and made the 1984 FA Cup final, where they were beaten 2-0 by Everton.
While featuring heavily in Watford's rise to prominence, which included a UEFA Cup campaign in 1983, Barnes' dazzling skills and electric pace on the left flank were quickly spotted by England manager Bobby Robson, who gave him his debut in 1983.
Barnes went on to score one of the most breathtaking individual goals ever seen, when he outpaced and out-thought several Brazilian defenders before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into an empty net during a friendly match in Rio de Janeiro. The goal brought him worldwide fame but also a sense of heavy expectation, with unreasonable observers and supporters expecting him to produce moments like that on a match-by-match basis.
Indeed, Barnes' whole England career, despite its decade's longevity, was seen by many as a disappointment. He won 79 caps and scored 12 goals, but compared to his club form, he was never seen as a player who peaked when wearing an England shirt.
Robson did not use Barnes at the 1986 World Cup until the quarter final against Argentina when England were trailing 2-0 with 15 minutes to go. Barnes used his short period on the pitch to destroy the Argentine defence time and again (BBC commentator Barry Davies famously shouted: "Go on! Run at them!" when Barnes was given the ball), setting up one goal for Gary Lineker and laying on another chance which, despite seeming easier than the one he scored, Lineker managed to miss. England went out of the competition, but Barnes' impact on the team and the country was felt.
A year later, Barnes left Watford in a £900,000 deal for Liverpool, joining at the same time as England team-mate Peter Beardsley. In his first season at Anfield, Barnes was outstanding as Liverpool coasted to the League title with just two defeats, though again he would suffer FA Cup disappointment when Wimbledon surprisingly beat the champions 1-0 in the final. Barnes had performed a memorable (not necessarily for the right reasons) rap on the club's traditional Cup final song Anfield Rap, which got to No.3 in the UK charts.
The success and disappointment was reversed a year later, with Liverpool winning the FA Cup with a 3-2 defeat over Merseyside rivals Everton but losing the title to Arsenal with literally seconds remaining.
Barnes was, in his early years at Liverpool, having to deal with racist abuse from opposing supporters and far-right groups - a famous photograph was once taken of Barnes, in full Liverpool kit and mid-match, casually kicking away a banana which had been hurled at him. In his early England days, he and fellow black player Mark Chamberlain were subjected to threats from racist groups.
Barnes played in the 1990 title winning side at Liverpool, then appeared in the World Cup for England, scoring a controversially disallowed goal against Belgium in the second round. He had had been dropped by the time England went out to West Germany on penalties in the semi-final. Barnes had again supplied a rap for a tie-in song, World In Motion by New Order, which was a UK No.1 and is still regarded by many as the best football song ever made.
Barnes continued to play for Liverpool and England, winning the FA Cup again in 1992. Sadly, around this time, he was booed by a section of England supporters at Wembley after a poor performance by the whole team - somehow, Barnes' own perceived underachievement throughout his international career was seen as a symbol for England's own ineptitude as a team that evening.
Barnes won the League Cup with Liverpool in 1995 and managed one more FA Cup runners-up medal before leaving Anfield in 1997 to join up with former boss Kenny Dalglish at Newcastle United. He reached yet another FA Cup final (defeated again) during this short period before ending his playing career at Charlton Athletic.
In a 'dream ticket' style move, he then became coach of Glasgow Celtic with Kenny Dalglish as director of football, but this much-hyped appointment was a disaster, and Barnes left after one season. He has since become a pundit on ITV and is currently in the early stages of becoming a presenter of the football coverage on Channel 5. He also works as an ambassador for Save the Children.
Twice in his career, Barnes was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He has also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and is widely regarded as among the most talented players to wear an England shirt. He is separated and has two sons and two daughters.
| Preceded by: Clive Allen | Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year 1988 | Succeeded by: Steve Nicol |
| Preceded by: Clive Allen | PFA Players' Player of the Year 1988 | Succeeded by: Mark Hughes |
| Preceded by: Steve Nicol | Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year 1990 | Succeeded by: Gordon Strachan |