John Barnes Claims British Genius Could ‘Never’ Have Played For Liverpool Due to His Character

John Barnes has told Peter Crouch why one former England star would ‘never have played’ for Liverpool due to his character. One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, Barnes starred for the Merseyside outfit between 1987-1997.

During his 10 years at Anfield, Barnes won two First Division titles, two FA Cups, the League Cup and three Charity (now Community) Shields. The former England international played alongside many of the club’s greats including Alan Hansen, Robbie Fowler and Kenny Dalglish.

Crouch, who became a cult hero at Liverpool after playing for the Reds between 2005-2008, said to Barnes during an interview on his podcast: “There is something special about the club. I didn’t have a glittering career at Liverpool, like you had, but I was there for three-and-a-half years and it touched me. My boys are now Liverpool fans and I feel associated to the football club. It’s like no other [club], right?”

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Barnes: Glenn Hoddle Could Never Have Played For Liverpool

Doesn’t believe former Tottenham star had the right character

Barnes then explained that Liverpool have always tried to sign players with a certain type of character down the years. He believes this is why Glenn Hoddle, a player he admired hugely, wouldn’t have fitted in at Anfield.

“What Liverpool have always done is look at the character of the player,” Barnes said. “You had to have a certain character to be a Liverpool player.

He elaborated: “So you have to have a certain character to come to Liverpool, be ingratiated and be part of something so that the fans take you to their hearts, regardless of how successful you are. That’s always been a Liverpool thing.

“We can’t help the way fans see us. Fans will always look at the so-called superstars: [Steven] Gerrard and [Fernando] Torres, Dalglish and [Ian] Rush. They’ll always see them as more important than their teammates – but they would not see themselves as more important than their teammates. That’s a real Liverpool thing.

“Liverpool was never about Rush and Dalglish. It was about the Sammy Lees, the Jimmy Cases and the Terry McDermotts – that’s the strength of the team. That’s what people in Liverpool like.” (See Barnes speak about Hoddle at 43:43 on the following video).

Glenn Hoddle’s Career

Former star explained why he only earned 53 England caps

Barnes suggests that Hoddle would have viewed himself as being superior to his teammates – and even though he may have been correct, this assumption wouldn’t have made him a popular figure among the Liverpool fans. One of the most naturally-gifted British players in football history, Hoddle was a midfield maestro who spent the vast majority of his career with Tottenham but also had spells with Monaco, Swindon Town and Chelsea.

Despite his immense talent, though, Hoddle was only capped 53 times by England, scoring eight goals in the process, between 1979-1988. When asked about his international appearance tally, Hoddle told FourFourTwo in 2024: “If Brian Clough had become England manager, I’d have had a completely different scenario as an international footballer. And I know that for a fact. He’d have played me in the right position and played a balanced team. I used to look at teams like Holland and France – we were so rigid by comparison.

“It was actually to our detriment that we won the World Cup in 1966 playing a 4-4-2 system. We felt we’d stumbled across the ideal game plan and we were still playing it in the 1970s and ‘80s, when I broke through. The ball was launched up towards two strikers and the wingers to chase and that was never going to get the best out of the creative, technical players.”