Joey Barton moved to Rangers on a free transfer over the summer.
Joey Barton in action for Rangers
Rangers midfielder Joey Barton is renowned for his outspoken nature, and his supreme confidence in his own ability, and true to form, the former Manchester City midfielder lived up to that reputation in an exclusive interview with football magazine FourFourTwo.
The 34-year-old has one international cap for England to his name, and he explained how he knew he was good enough almost immediately:
Joey Barton during his time with Burnley
“You know within five minutes whether you can cope with that level or not, and I knew that I could play international football.”
Barton’s opinion that he was good enough to play at that level is a strange one, considering that he did not achieve another international cap, but the Huyton native is under the belief it was not his ability on the pitch that prevented further call-ups for England, telling FourFourTwo:
Joey Barton made one appearance for England
“It was an incredible honour to play for my country and I would have loved to have done it a lot more. My behavioural patterns at the time made that particularly difficult. I was struggling with life; struggling to cope with being me.”
Barton has appeared in all four of Rangers’ Scottish Championship games this term, but is yet to influence a game in the manner he believes he is capable of.
He will be hoping for his first taste of the Old Firm Derby on Saturday when the Gers visit league-leaders Celtic, and with his reputation as a hot-head, he could very well be targeted by Hoops players, and will need to use every ounce of his experience to avoid trouble.
Celtic currently sit one point ahead of Rangers, with a game in hand over their rivals, so Barton’s side must ensure they do not lose, in what could prove to be an extremely pivotal match, albeit so early on in the season.
Rangers’ Joey Barton in action with Burnley’s Dean Marney
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