Ex-Liverpool, Newcastle and Watford star says he has paid the Government £2.2m since 2017 to stay afloat - but others are suffering more than him
22:38, 29 Aug 2025Updated 22:42, 29 Aug 2025
John Barnes working for Amazon Prime during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on December 26, 2019 in Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Barnes said he has paid the Government £2.2m since 2017(Image: James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)
England football legend John Barnes said he is forking out £10,000-a-month to avoid bankruptcy because he does not want 'struggling' Brits to think he dodges tax.
The footballer, who played for Liverpool, Newcastle and Watford, said he had been working with HM Revenue & Customs for eight years to pay back taxes he could not afford when bad investments left him hard-up.
He said he has paid the Government £2.2m since 2017 and is currently forking out £120,000-a-year to settle outstanding debts.
Barnes, 61, who scored 10 goals in 79 appearances for England from 1983 to 1995, told All Things Business - The Podcast the vast cash outlay had given him a ‘few sleepless nights’.
Former England player John Barnes receives a legacy cap in 2024(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
But he said his ordeal was nothing compared to the cost of living crisis many 'hard working' Brits were experiencing right now.
He said: “It’s not had a major impact because I look at the way the world is and there are lots of people struggling more than me.
“And as long as I am able to work and to pay I am just thankful. What have I got to complain about?
John Barnes during his England pomp in 1989
John Barnes during his England pomp in 1989(Image: Getty Images)
“I have been so fortunate in my life to still be able to work and pay my bills and my kids have a roof over their head and food on the table. I was making a lot of money. I was the first £10,000-a-week footballer and benefited from that for a few years.
“Like a lot of elite sportspeople I got burned because I trusted people. I got caught out a couple of times and ended up losing between £1m and £1.5m over four years.
John Barnes in action for LIverpool(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
“In 2017 I began talking to HMRC about what I could do to repay what I owed. I know how hard it is for people out there.
“I don’t want to say there are loopholes or that I can get away with this or that or have people think I can be made bankrupt and keep my assets because I’ve already sold everything. I don’t have any assets.
“Football is a working-class sport and I don’t want hard working people thinking I’ve got all this money and I won’t pay tax.
“It would be easy to be made bankrupt because they can’t take anything else from me. I’m going to court not to be made bankrupt but to ask for permission to keep paying. I don’t want anyone thinking of me as John Barnes, ex-professional footballer, hiding all his money and not paying taxes.”
A collection of modern British banknotes surrounding the HM Revenue & Customs heading on a UK Government tax form.
Barnes battling tax debts(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Earlier this month he escaped a fresh bankruptcy threat after HMRC lodged a petition in the High Court over £800,000 in unpaid VAT, National Insurance and PAYE debts from his firm John Barnes Media Ltd.
He also owed unsecured creditors £462,000, a director’s loan worth £226,000 and liquidators’ costs of £56,000.
The winger, who won two league titles and two FA Cups with Liverpool, has fended off multiple previous bankruptcy petitions.
He last avoided going bust in 2023 after settling a personal tax bill for £200,000.
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Barnes, who has been banned from being a company director for three-and-a-half years, said the negativity surrounding his finances had impacted on his work speaking about inclusion and diversity in business as the banking sector had stopped inviting him.