Sir Bobby Robson is widely regarded as one of the best English managers of all time and oversaw one of the most memorable periods in the country’s football history, leading the Three Lions to the 1990 World Cup semi-final and restoring pride and belief in the national team.
Before Robson took charge in 1982, England had struggled to shine on the international stage and failed to progress far in major tournaments since their victory in the 1966 World Cup – their only major tournament win to date.
With a plethora of emerging stars to work with, including the likes of Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne and David Platt, the former Fulham boss managed to steadily rebuild the team’s confidence and identity, even though some challenges persisted throughout his tenure.
While he did help England become a major threat in international tournaments, Robson struggled to get the best out of a particular Three Lions star he once described as the ‘greatest enigma’ of his managerial career.
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John Barnes was Bobby Robson’s ‘Greatest Enigma’
He struggled to get the best out of the ex-Liverpool midfielder
John Barnes in and England shirt
While Robson praised Alan Shearer as one of the best British players he ever coached, he once famously labelled John Barnes as the ‘greatest enigma’ of his managerial career.
Barnes, who was a key player for Liverpool in the late 1980s and 1990s, often found it difficult to replicate that level of influence on the international stage, despite being handed consistent opportunities to showcase his world-class creativity.
The Kingston-born midfielder was handed his first England cap by Robson in 1983 and quickly became a regular, amassing 58 appearances under the ex-Newcastle boss in total, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists.
However, despite his prominent role in the first team, Barnes’ performances for England were often inconsistent compared to his club form, as there were always questions over his adaptation to Robson’s playing style and tactical setups, which sometimes limited his effectiveness.
Barnes, as quoted by talkSPORT, once admitted that Robson struggled to fully utilise him within the England setup and was concerned that he did not perform as consistently for the Three Lions as he did for Liverpool:
“Sir Bobby Robson used to say to me, 'We want you to play for England the way you play for Liverpool'.
“You know what I said to him? 'If England played the way Liverpool do, then I would'.”
Barnes earned a total of 79 caps for England during his playing career, although his involvement in the memorable World Cup runs in 1986 and 1990 under Robson was somewhat limited.
His only brief cameo in 1986 came in the infamous quarter-final loss to Argentina, while he was left on the bench for the 1990 semi-final defeat against Germany on penalties.
Barnes spent a decade of his playing career at Liverpool, where he made 406 appearances, scored 107 goals, and provided 92 assists.
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Statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt. Correct as of 05-07-25.