Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Joey Barton

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Joey Barton made an impact.

Joey Barton is an English football manager and former player, primarily a midfielder. He played extensively in the Premier League, notably with Manchester City, making 269 appearances. Most recently, he managed Bristol Rovers in League One.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1999: First Appearance for Manchester City's under-17s

In 1999, Joey Barton made his first appearance for Manchester City's under-17s team.

2000: First Reserve-Team Appearance

At the end of the 2000-01 season, Joey Barton made his first reserve-team appearance, in his final year as a trainee.

November 2002: Missed First Team Debut

In November 2002, Joey Barton was supposed to make his debut for the City first team against Middlesbrough, but he lost his shirt after leaving it on the substitutes bench at half-time.

2002: Started Career with Manchester City

In 2002, Joey Barton began his football career with Manchester City after progressing through their youth system.

2002: Professional Contract with Manchester City

In 2002, despite initial plans to release him, Manchester City reconsidered and gave Joey Barton his first professional contract.

April 2003: First Team Debut and First Senior Goal

In April 2003, Joey Barton made his first-team debut for Manchester City against Bolton Wanderers and scored his first senior goal in a win over Tottenham Hotspur.

April 2003: New Contract

In April 2003, after impressing in his first season at City, Joey Barton was offered and signed a new one-year contract at the club by manager Kevin Keegan.

2003: First Red Card

During an FA Cup match against Tottenham in 2003, Joey Barton received the first red card of his career for arguing with the referee at half-time.

September 2004: Signed new contract with Man City

On 22 September 2004, Joey Barton signed a new contract with Manchester City, which would keep him at the club until 2007.

2004: England U21 Call-up

During the 2003-04 season, Joey Barton was rewarded with a call-up to the England U21 squad for their 2004 European Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Portugal.

2004: Played for England Under-21

In 2004, Joey Barton represented the England under-21 team and was part of the squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers, scoring once against Portugal.

2005: Evolved Passing Style

Since the 2005–06 season, Joey Barton began to favor simpler passes over more ambitious ones, improving his pass completion rate.

January 2006: Transfer Request and New Contract Negotiations

In January 2006, Joey Barton handed in a written transfer request, which was rejected. He later agreed to begin negotiations on a new contract at Manchester City.

December 2006: Second Red Card

In December 2006, Joey Barton received the second red card of his career, for a late two-footed tackle on Bolton Wanderers player Abdoulaye Faye.

2006: Manchester City's Leading Scorer

In the 2006–07 season, Joey Barton's six goals from midfield made him Manchester City's leading scorer.

January 2007: Release Clause and Everton Inquiry

In January 2007, Joey Barton's agent Willie McKay said that if any team offered at least £5.5 million for Barton, it would trigger a release clause in his contract, prompting an inquiry from Everton.

February 2007: Earned England Cap

In February 2007, Joey Barton earned his only cap for the England national team.

February 2007: First Call-Up to England Squad

In February 2007, Joey Barton received his first call-up to the full England squad for a friendly match against Spain, despite his criticism of England squad members who had released autobiographies after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

February 2007: International Debut

On February 7, 2007, Joey Barton made his international debut for England, replacing Frank Lampard in the 78th minute of a 1–0 defeat to Spain at Old Trafford.

June 2007: Joined Newcastle United

On 14 June 2007, Joey Barton joined Newcastle United for a fee of £5.8 million.

July 2007: Joined Newcastle United

In July 2007, Joey Barton joined Newcastle United for a fee of £5.8 million.

July 2007: Newcastle Debut and Injury

In July 2007, Joey Barton made his Newcastle debut in a friendly against Hartlepool United but was then ruled out for six to seven weeks after fracturing his left foot during a friendly match with Carlisle United.

October 2007: Premier League Debut for Newcastle

On 22 October 2007, Joey Barton made his Premier League debut for Newcastle, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 win over Tottenham.

August 2008: Return to playing action

In August 2008, Joey Barton returned to playing action as a substitute during Newcastle's defeat to Arsenal, six days before his FA hearing. He was involved in an incident with Samir Nasri during the match.

May 2009: Suspended by Newcastle United

In May 2009, Joey Barton was suspended indefinitely by Newcastle United after being sent off in a match against Liverpool and a subsequent dressing room confrontation with Alan Shearer. His future at the club was put in doubt.

February 2011: Involved in altercation with Abou Diaby

In February 2011, Joey Barton scored two penalties against Arsenal as Newcastle drew 4-4. He was involved in an altercation with Abou Diaby, which led to a red card for Diaby.

April 2011: Scored third goal for the club

On April 11, 2011, Joey Barton scored his third goal for QPR in a 3-0 victory at home to Swansea.

May 2011: Agent confirms Barton will not sign a new contract with Newcastle

In May 2011, Joey Barton's agent confirmed that he would not be signing a new contract at St James' Park after contract talks broke down.

August 2011: Joined Queens Park Rangers

In August 2011, Joey Barton joined Queens Park Rangers.

August 2011: Transfer listed by Newcastle and given permission to talk to QPR

In August 2011, Joey Barton was officially transfer listed by Newcastle and was given permission to talk to QPR. He criticised the Newcastle board after being allowed to leave on a free transfer.

2011: Started Writing for The Big Issue

In 2011, Joey Barton began writing a regular column in The Big Issue, a street newspaper sold by the homeless and vulnerably housed.

July 2012: Played a friendly match for Fleetwood Town

In July 2012, Joey Barton played 45 minutes of a friendly match for League Two team Fleetwood Town after being left out of QPR's tour. A loan deal was turned down by QPR.

August 2012: Loan move to Marseille

In August 2012, Joey Barton completed a season-long loan move to Marseille.

November 2012: Made league debut for Marseille

In November 2012, after stating he only joined QPR for money, Joey Barton made his league debut for Marseille in a win against Lille.

2012: Sponsored Newcastle United Women's Team Shirt

In 2012, Joey Barton sponsored a shirt from Newcastle United's women's team. He sponsored the number seven shirt, the number he wore in the men's side.

2012: Loaned to Marseille

In 2012, while at Queens Park Rangers, Joey Barton was loaned to Marseille.

April 2013: Affirmed he would not play for QPR again

In April 2013, Joey Barton posted tweets affirming that he would not play for QPR again.

September 2013: Wore Rainbow Laces

In September 2013, Joey Barton became the first player to wear rainbow laces as part of Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.

2014: Promoted back to Premier League with QPR

In 2014, Joey Barton started for QPR as they beat Derby County in the Championship play-off final, resulting in the club's promotion back to the Premier League.

May 2015: Queens Park Rangers announced release of Barton

In May 2015, Queens Park Rangers announced that they would release Joey Barton in the summer.

August 2015: Joined Burnley on a one-year contract

In August 2015, Joey Barton joined Championship club Burnley on a one-year contract.

August 2015: West Ham United deal falls through

In August 2015, West Ham United's deal to sign Joey Barton fell through after protests from some fans.

2015: Signed With Burnley

In 2015, Joey Barton signed a one-year deal to play for Burnley, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

May 2016: Joined Rangers on a two-year contract

In May 2016, Joey Barton joined Scottish Premiership club Rangers on a two-year contract.

May 2016: Joined Rangers

In May 2016, Joey Barton left Burnley to join Rangers.

November 2016: Contract at Rangers terminated

In November 2016, Joey Barton had his contract at Rangers terminated with immediate effect.

January 2017: Re-joined Burnley and Scored Against Southampton

In January 2017, Joey Barton re-joined Burnley and made his second debut for the club in a goalless draw with Sunderland in the FA Cup third round. On January 14, 2017, he made his league return, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over Southampton.

May 2017: Released by Burnley

On May 23, 2017, Joey Barton was released by Burnley Football Club.

April 2018: Appointed Fleetwood Town Manager

In April 2018, League One club Fleetwood Town announced that Joey Barton would take over as manager on June 2, 2018, after the expiration of his ban.

June 2018: Commenced managerial career with Fleetwood Town

In June 2018, upon expiry of his ban, Joey Barton commenced his managerial career with Fleetwood Town.

August 2018: Managerial Debut

On August 4, 2018, Joey Barton's managerial career started with a 1–0 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon.

January 2021: Left Fleetwood Town

In January 2021, Joey Barton left his managerial position at Fleetwood Town.

February 2021: Appointed Manager of Bristol Rovers

On February 22, 2021, Joey Barton was appointed manager of Bristol Rovers, with the club in a relegation battle. His first match was a 2–1 defeat against Wigan Athletic.