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John Barnes was a special player at Liverpool, and had elements to his game as an attacker that not even Kylian Mbappe did.
If there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to play with all-time Liverpool greats, it’s Steve Nicol.
He was part of the great teams of the 80s, and was witness to Barnes becoming the best attacker in England.
Nowadays, the Scotsman is a no-nonsense pundit. Nicol tore into Mo Salah after Sunderland, and is one of the more vocal critics of Liverpool when things aren’t going well.
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Things were going very well in his playing days, and he discussed just how special his teammate was even compared to today’s superstars.
Steve Nicol on the John Barnes role not even Kylian Mbappe could fill
Nicol was on the topic Liverpool legends on a Q&A segment with ESPN.
When discussing Barnes, you could tell just how much respect he has for the iconic Red.
Not only was his individual quality of the highest level — he made life easier for Nicol and his fellow teammates.
He explains: “I played behind John Barnes and I could go forward because John Barnes would sit for me. Can you imagine Kylian Mbappe sitting for anybody?
19 Apr 1997: John Barnes of Liverpool is marked by Nicky Butt of Manchester United during the Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool, England. United won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill /Allsport
“You know, John Barnes at the time was was was arguably our best player as Mbappe is for Madrid, but John Barnes would sit and play fullback for me if I went forward. I don’t see Mbappe doing that.”
Barnes might have been a winger during his prime years, and one of the best in the world in that regard. As Nicol said: “Barnsey walks into any team on the planet.”
But when he suffered that dreadful Achilles tear, the Kingston-born England legend was forced to drop into the midfield.
He enjoyed many successful years even after the dramatic switch, probably because he was already used to playing a deeper role at times.
We can never truly compare Mbappe and Barnes across eras, but he did have aspects to his game that even the best attackers today don’t possess.
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Nicol ranks Ian Rush ahead of John Barnes
The exercise put to Nicol was to rank Barnes, Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush.
Three absolute greats of the club.
Despite his hefty praise, he didn’t give Barnes the number one spot.
That went to Rush — Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer — because: “I mean, about about 650 appearances for Liverpool, 350 goals. I mean seriously, you can’t beat that. The game is about scoring goals.”
It wasn’t just goals with the Welshman though. Nicol said he was Liverpool’s best defender, leading from the front.
He did clarify that if Barnes hadn’t had that injury, he could easily have the top spot.
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