John Barnes

John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE, or simply “John Barnes,” is a professional football player who was born in Kingston, Jamaica on November 7, 1963. Although born in Jamaica, Barnes is of English descent and is known for being awarded as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

During his amateur years, he was a player for the non-league Sudbury Court. This was the time Barnes moved to England after finishing his studies in Jamaica. Barnes was then tapped by Watford, and after playing successfully as one of Watford’s reserves, Barnes was signed by the club on July 14, 1981.

At 17 years old, Barnes made his debut as a sub in a match against Oldham Athletic on September 5, 1981. At the time, the manager of Watford was Graham Taylor, and they were just eight months away from completing their rise over the past six years.

In 1987, Barnes was offered a 900,000 pound deal by Liverpool. During the time he joined, Barnes entered together with England teammate, Peter Beardsley. Together with Beardsley, Barnes teamed with Ian Rush and John Aldridge to form one of the toughest attacking lines in the history of Liverpool.

Barnes stayed with Liverpool for 10 years, making 314 appearances for the club and scoring 84 goals. However, during his last year with the club, he decided that it was time to leave and he was soon signed up by former team-mate Kenny Dalglish and soon joined Newcastle United. There he stayed for two more years before transferring to Charlton Athletic, where he spent the last 12 games of his professional career.

Barnes also enjoyed a rich International career, and enjoyed being one of the top 10 most capped players in England, until the entrance of Gary Neville and David Beckham pushed him onto 11th place.