Born in 1963, John Barnes became a true Liverpool legend. Barnes signed for Liverpool from Watford for a fee of 900,000 pounds in 1987, after making 292 appearances for Watford and scoring 83 goals.
Barnes was an instant success at Liverpool, he teamed up with attacking players.
Chelsea FC
John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley, and later Ian Rush, to form the most formidable attacking force of the era.
With the ball at his feet, Barnes was always poised, always enthralling, he combined a blend of strength and skill, and his play was often described as awesome.
Goal scoring aside, John Barnes made a great impact on the Liverpool team and during his first season at the club he helped them to a record-equalling 29-game unbeaten run and, ultimately, a 17th league title for Liverpool. Barnes was awarded the 1987-88 Player of the Year award, the only down point on a fantastic season was defeat to Wimbledon in a dramatic FA Cup final, which denied Liverpool winning the double.
Many say Barnes first season at Liverpool was his best, but he always performed consistently well over the nine years he spent at Liverpool,
1989 saw Liverpool win the FA Cup final against local rivals Everton, however this victory was over shadowed by the tragic events at Hillsborough in the semi-final.
During the 1989-90 season, Liverpool again won the League, while Barnes was Liverpool's top-scorer with 22 league goals and he was again awarded as Player of the Year.
Barnes became the club captain in the mid 1990's, and he also had a great influence on the youngsters in the team at that time, the likes of Robbie Fowler, Jamie Redknapp and Steve McManaman all benefited from playing and training alongside Barnes.
Age started to catch up with Barnes and a serious injury meant he lost some of his effectiveness as a 'winger' and he then assumed a central midfield role, one which he performed outstandingly, with great passing and vision for the game, he was able to hold the ball well and his short, sharp passing game, meant that the Liverpool midfield rarely conceded possession.
Barnes led the Liverpool side out for the 1996 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United which was to be his last high-profile game for the club. A year later, the midfielder finally ended his career with Liverpool when he signed for Newcastle United.
For those that saw Barnes play, will agree that his illustrious career with Liverpool made him a true legend.
No comments:
Post a Comment