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30 June 2010updated 27 Sep 2015 4:07am

“Football is a socialist sport,“ says John Barnes

And England don't win because they are not "socialist" enough.

By Daniel Trilling

The Evening Standard has an intriguing interview with the former England and Liverpool player John Barnes. Lefties in particular, even those who despise the World Cup, should find it of interest:

“Football is a socialist sport,” he explains. “Financially, some may receive more rewards than others but, from a footballing perspective, for 90 minutes, regardless of whether you are Lionel Messi or the substitute right-back for Argentina, you are all working to the same end.

“The teams which embrace the socialist ideology rather than having superstars, are the teams that are successful. Or if there are superstars they don’t perceive themselves to be that. That’s why I use Messi as an example. As much as he’s a superstar he respects his team-mates and their collective efforts.”

You can read the rest of the piece here. And tell us what you think below — is Barnes right?

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