From Liverpool star to debtor. John Barnes declared bankrupt with £1.5 million debt

Business turned out to be a disastrous venture.

Details: According to The Telegraph, 61-year-old former Liverpool defender John Barnes could not escape bankruptcy status due to a debt of £1.5 million accumulated by his company.

• Read also: Rayo Vallecano vs Shkëndija prediction, H2H and probable lineups - 02.10.2025

The source reports that John Barnes had previously been on the brink of bankruptcy, yet managed to find a way out. This time, however, the situation is far more serious.

Since 2010, Barnes has faced the threat of bankruptcy six times, but in 2023 he paid over £200,000 in personal income tax and repaid £60,000 after agreeing to return a director's loan in installments, which delayed his bankruptcy.

Investigations by the Insolvency Service revealed that between 2018 and 2020, John Barnes Media Limited failed to pay more than £190,000 in corporation tax and VAT.

Barnes has also been banned from holding the position of director of any company for 3.5 years.

John Barnes played for Liverpool from 1987 to 1997, making 406 appearances for the Reds, scoring 107 goals and providing 92 assists. On July 10, 1999, Barnes announced his retirement, with his final club being Charlton Athletic.

Recall: 11 years later! England defeats Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup final