John Barnes reveals England stars skipped iconic World In Motion recording to go pub

John Barnes has called out some of the England squad for skipping the recording of his iconic World in Motion anthem – as they decided to head to the pub.

The Liverpool and England legend also labelled the frustrating football stars as “frauds” when he spilled the beans on how the legendary New Order track – which went to No.1 in the UK charts before the 1990 World Cup – came about. Speaking to online bingo provider Zingo Bingo, he said: “There’s a story behind this, and I’m going to expose a lot of the frauds involved. As much as this is a number-one hit for the England World Cup song from 1990, there were only six people who were on the song.

“Only six people turned up to do the song because we did an album in 1986 for the Mexico World Cup. The single was Viva Es Spana. It was 22 players all around each other on Top of the Pops, it was terrible.”

He continued: “When 1990 came along and Bobby Robson said, ‘Are you going to do another song?’, the players remembered ’86. We didn’t know it was going to be New Order. We thought it was going to be typical: 20 players with their arms around each other, the song was going to be terrible, and we knew nothing about the song.”

As for the people who did make it to the studio, he said: “The six people who turned up were me, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, Steve McMahon, Chris Waddle and Des Walker – only six of us.”

Barnes nailed the legendary rap on the song, with the iconic winger still asked to perform it by fans and occasionally on stage with New Order to this day. The lyrics were: “You’ve got to hold and give, but do it at the right time, you can be slow or fast, but you must get to the line.

“They’ll always hit you and hurt you, defend and attack, there’s only one way to beat them, get round the back. Catch me if you can, ‘cause I’m the England man, and what you’re looking at, is the master plan.

“We ain’t no hooligans, this ain’t a football song, Three Lions on my chest, I know we can’t go wrong.”

Barnes continued on his life and career. He noted: “My family is the most important thing. I’ve got my kids and stuff. My mum and dad, they are the reason I’m the person I am and do everything I do.

“They’re the reason I’m a footballer and I became the husband and father I am. I’m hoping I’m a good one for my children. Everything that I do, I’ve been guided by those two people.

“My dad was a colonel in the army. He went to Sandhurst with Andrew Parker Bowles. My mother’s family started the first Jamaican government, called the Renileate Family. My dad got posted here as the military attaché when I was 13 years old.

“He got recalled back to Jamaica when I was 17 – they went back to Jamaica, and I stayed to play football. If my dad wasn’t a diplomatic military attaché, I wouldn’t have come to England and been a footballer, but they mean more to me than that.”