Joey Barton is one of the most controversial names in soccer. Over his long-running career, Joey Barton has played for multiple teams, accumulating a massive net worth.
Barton has been amidst yet another controversy after making sexist remarks on the eligibility of women commentators to speak on men’s soccer.
Moreover, the 41-year-old is notorious for his short temper and lack of discipline, which has led to his conviction for violent crimes twice.
Joseph Anthony Barton is an English soccer manager and a former player with over 269 appearances in the Premier League. He was born in Huyton, England, on September 2, 1982.
Barton’s career started with Manchester City in 2002, playing as a central midfielder. After playing for 150 games, City released Barton after the midfielder was involved in an altercation with his fellow teammate Ousmane Dabo in the training ground.
Throughout his playing career, The Football Association (FA) has charged Barton with violent conduct three times. Meanwhile, in 2008, he was sentenced to six months in prison, facing assault charges.
Later, on April 26, 2017, the FA banned Barton from soccer for 18 months, causing the infamous midfielder to retire early. In June 2018, a League One club, Fleetwood Town, hired Barton as their manager.
After being sacked by the club on January 4, 2021, the former athlete signed with Bristol Rovers. However, after failing to produce better results in the 2023 season, Bristol Rivers sacked him on October 26, 2023.
Joey Barton’s Net Worth
Soccer players are famous for having massive salaries and net worth. Similarly, Joey Barton has made enough money and has a sizable net worth.
Reports suggest that Barton’s net worth is estimated at $5 million. He has managed to earn most of it from his controversial soccer career.
Queens Park Rangers (QPR) acquired Barton as a free transfer. As a part of the contract, QPR had offered Barton £80,000 per week, the highest for any QPR player.
This caused some to claim Barton as one of ten overpaid players in the Premier League. However, by the end of his career with Burnley, his salary dropped down to £20,000 per week.
Furthermore, following his 18-month suspension from soccer for gambling, Barton took only a portion of the £20,000.
Despite having seen several highs and lows in his professional career, Barton is still one of the wealthiest managers in soccer.
Some reports suggest that Barton has left life on the field to focus on his personal life with his family and children.
In a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, Barton posted, “…I’ve retired. Off to bring my kids up. My number one job.” This probably suggests the former athlete has left the life on the field for a family life.
However, we will have to wait and see if the soccer world has heard the last of Joey Barton.
More On His Controversy
Joey Barton is infamous for his controversies. In a career filled with altercations, the former athlete has yet to stop making life difficult for himself.
The 41-year-old has been in the news after making sexist remarks. He stated on his social media that “women shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game.”
Adding to his previous comments, Barton wrote, “Female commentators are like me talking about knitting or netball.
Undoubtedly, this sparked an outrage among feminist and female commentators everywhere, including Laura Woods.
Woods, a veteran presenter with ITV, TalkSport, and TNT Sports, felt offended. In addition to Woods, Barton targeted Alex Scott, calling her “unqualified” to talk with any authority about the men’s game.
Scott (39) has a Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting degree and had a successful playing career. Furthermore, she has a prolonged career in TV to back her qualifications.
It is unsure if Barton is doing this for the spotlight or if he honestly feels like women commentators and presenters don’t belong in men’s sports. In either case, perhaps this might be a losing battle for Barton.
