Barton repeatedly expresses his self illusory view that he is a better player than some midfielders ahead of him in the England queue.
“I mean, my massive issue with England, or Team England as it’s now known, is it is now an elitist, southern-based team,” Barton said of a team based around the likes of Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young.
“I mean, it’s neat to have Wembley, you know, but why should England specifically play there? How can you be passionate about England if you live in Newcastle and you’ve got to travel over 200 miles, or if you live in Carlisle. I mean, they’ve become an elitist, southern-based club, and for me I think your average Englishman really doesn’t care about England any more.”
