‘If he was born in Spain’: Roberto Martinez says 29 y/o former Everton player was misunderstood

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Roberto Martinez has said that former Everton sensation Ross Barkley would have been appreciated if he was born in a different country.

The Portugal manager, who gave the now-Nice attacker his breakthrough at the Toffees noted how a technical phenom like him was not built for the rigidity of British football.

Reflecting on his time working with Ross Barkley at Everton on talkSPORT, Roberto Martinez spoke his mind on how he should have been perceived.

Ex-Everton boss Roberto Martinez says Ross Barkley would have been appreciated if he was Spanish

The Englishman burst on to the scene as a youngster from the Merseyside-based side’s academy, often drawing comparisons to Wayne Rooney.

Blessed with silky feet, incredible ball-carrying ability, a dangerous long shot and technical gifts, Barkley seemed to be destined for greatness.

As Ross Barkley has become a classic case of unfulfilled potential, especially since his exit from Everton, Roberto Martinez has explained that there is more to the story than just that.

“I think Ross is one of those players that at times, hasn’t been understood. As a British player, he’s not a player that fits in a system. And I think that’s been a big problem for him. I think if Ross Barkley was born in Spain or in a different culture, they would have appreciated him more; his incredible physicality for a technical player.”

Roberto Martinez has a point

While this is not to suggest that former Everton midfielder Ross Barkley is not to blame at all for how his career panned out but Roberto Martinez raises a fair point as well.

It is not as much the case nowadays but even a couple of years ago, physicality and hard graft were appreciated a lot more in British football than flair and technical precision.

Often, fleet-footed players like Mesut Ozil, for instance were considered as ‘soft’ for the British game, and it seems like this cultural ideology seems to have affected how Ross Barkley was perceived.

In a country where technical efficiency is more prioritised like Spain or France, perhaps more effort would have been taken to help Barkley become a bona fide superstar.