John Barnes played in some great teams during his near 20-year career, but there is one side which he believes is the best squad he was a part of.
Barnes was already on his way to becoming a Watford legend while he still had many years of his playing career ahead of him. The former England international made well over 200 appearances for Hornets, but a move to Anfield proved too attractive to turn down. As they say, the rest is history.
Barnes spent a decade at Liverpool and what a time it was. The winger scored 84 goals in more than 300 appearances, experiencing great success at both an individual and club level. Liverpool won two league titles during those years and also added two FA Cups to their trophy cabinet.
When asked by Watford Legends whether the Liverpool team when he first arrived was the best team he played in, Barnes gave a very decisive answer.
“Yes. Of course Rushie [Ian Rush] came back the following year as well. I think probably the first three years. Those first two or three years it felt like we’d been playing together forever.”
Initially, it seemed that Barnes would never get to play alongside Ian Rush. The prolific goalscorer had spent most of his senior career up to that point at Liverpool, but he made the switch to Juventus. However, Rush only spent one season in Italy before making his return to the English top flight.
The pair notably combined in the 1989 FA Cup final, as Liverpool defeated their cross-city rivals in a 3-2 victory. Just months earlier, Barnes and his teammates had witnessed the tragic Hillsborough disaster, and Barnes even pulled out of an England match to attend funerals and visit injured supporters in hospital. Whether on or off the pitch, he remained a class act.
