Black History Month Legends: John Barnes MBE
To celebrate Black History Month, Nick Bright interviews Jamaican-born football legend John Barnes.
Black History Month: John Barnes on moving to London
John Barnes talks about moving to the home of football as a teenager
"Coming to England, the home of football, I was so excited"
John Barnes grew up playing football in Jamaica, and when he came to the UK as a thirteen year old, football helped him to find acceptance at his new school.
"On my first day - I've got a duffel coat on...Jamaican accent - I was last pick...but because I was a very good footballer, as soon as they saw that I could play, I was just completely accepted".
"I was the best player, so everybody embraced me".
Black History Month: The first time John Barnes saw snow
John Barnes remembers the first time he saw snow after moving to London from Jamaica
Barnes remembers his reaction the first time he saw snow after moving to the UK from Jamaica.
Black History Month: John Barnes on racism in football
John Barnes talks about racism in football in the 1970s and 1980s
"Racism in football wasn't any different to racism in London"
John Barnes discusses his experiences of racism in football when he first started playing for England.
Barnes talks about the link between racism in life and racism in football. He makes a comparison with the present day:
"As much as there is no more overt racism...you know there is still an undercurrent of it".
Black History Month: John Barnes does 'Rapper's Delight'
John Barnes does a rendition of 'Rapper's Delight' by The Sugarhill Gang
"I hope Dr. Dre is listening...if he wants to come to me we can make a record"
If you thought John Barnes was just a footballer...think again.
The England legend gave Nick Bright a taste of his rapping skills with a 30 second rendition of The Sugarhill Gang's song 'Rapper's Delight'.
Barnes wanted to show Dr. Dre and Radio 1 listeners what he's really about.
John Barnes and Nick Bright at Radio Merseyside
