Home > John Barnes (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 1982. 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 1985, Barnes' dazzling skills and electric pace on the left flank were quickly spotted by EnglandThe England national football team is organised under the auspices of The Football Association, the governing body for football in England, and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Champions manager Bobby RobsonSir Robert William Robson known as Bobby Robson (born February 18 1933) is a football manager and former football player. His most recent appointment was as manager of Newcastle United and he previously managed the English national football team. Currentl, who gave him his debut in 1983Events January January 1 Beat Raaflaub became Basel Boys Choir's new conductor January 1 the ARPANET officially changes to use the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. January 1 compulsory wearing of seat belts becomes law in the UK. January 2 The mu.

Barnes went on to score one of the most breathtaking individual goals ever seen, when he outpaced and out-thought several BrazilThis article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil Republica Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America.ian defenders before rounding the goalkeeperThis article is about goalkeeper, the sports position. Goalkeeper is also a proprietary CIWS weapon-system. Patrick Roy, an ice hockey goaltender In many team sports, the goalkeeper (sometimes colloquially goalie or keeper is the designated player that is and slotting the ball into an empty net during a friendly match in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. The city is famous for the hotel-lined tourist beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, for the giant statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer ("Crist. 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 capIn association football, a cap is an appearance for a national team. The term can be applied to any nationality of player, but is usually only used in the United Kingdom. The term dates from the practice in the UK of awarding a cap (meaning an item of heas 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 19861986 is a common year starting on Wednesday. Events January January 1 Spain and Portugal enter the European Community January 1 Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles. January 9 After losing a pa 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 F.C. 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 is separated and has two sons and two daughters.