Joey Barton is an English former professional footballer and football manager, best known as a combative midfielder whose career has been overshadowed by controversy on and off the pitch.

Quick Scoop: Who Joey Barton Is

  • Full name: Joseph Anthony Barton, born 2 September 1982 in Huyton, Merseyside, England.
  • Role in football: Former Premier League midfielder who later became a manager.
  • Main clubs as a player:
    • Manchester City (debut in the early 2000s, over 100 league appearances).
* Newcastle United (moved for a reported £5.8m fee).

* Queens Park Rangers, Marseille, Burnley, Rangers, among others.
  • National team: Won a single England cap in a friendly against Spain in 2007.

Career After Playing

  • Barton was banned from football in 2017 for breaching betting regulations.
  • After his ban ended in 2018, he began a managerial career with Fleetwood Town, staying there until January 2021.
  • He later managed Bristol Rovers in the English Football League.

Reputation and Controversies

Barton has long been seen as a talented but volatile figure, with his career marked by various disciplinary issues and legal problems. He has twice been convicted of violent offences and has been involved in multiple on‑field and off‑field incidents that shaped his public image.

In recent years he has become prominent online, sharing strong and often inflammatory views with a large following on X (formerly Twitter). His comments about broadcasters and female football pundits drew heavy criticism and legal scrutiny.

Latest News (as of late 2025)

  • In 2025, Barton was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of sending grossly offensive electronic communications intended to cause distress or anxiety, mainly targeting broadcaster Jeremy Vine and pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
  • He received a suspended sentence, was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and had to pay more than £20,000 in costs.
  • Prosecutors and some of the targets of his messages described his online behaviour as bullying and designed to generate attention for his media work.

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Category Key Info
Full name Joseph Anthony "Joey" Barton
Date of birth 2 September 1982
Place of birth Huyton, Merseyside, England
Main playing position Central / box-to-box midfielder
Notable clubs Manchester City, Newcastle United, QPR, Burnley, Rangers, Marseille
England caps 1 senior cap (v Spain, 2007)
Managerial roles Fleetwood Town, Bristol Rovers
Key bans / sanctions 2017 FA betting ban; 2025 suspended sentence for offensive social media posts
Public image Controversial, outspoken, associated with both on-field aggression and online disputes

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.