Joey Barton angers fans with '100 caps' comments

Barton, who played just 17 minutes in his one and only England appearance, feels his international career could have been longer had he been born elsewhere in Britain.

The feisty midfielder made his only England appearance as a late substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Spain at Old Trafford in 2007 and has never been involved since.

But the QPR captain is confident that he would have amassed considerably more caps had he not been born in England.

"Realistically, if I was Northern Irish, Welsh, Scottish, I am getting 100 caps," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

"That's the reality,” he added, “I would have 100 caps for sure.

"But because I'm English, I wouldn't get them. That's the difference.

"You think, 'How many players barring Bale, in the other home nation squads, would get in the England national team?'"

After BBC presenter Darren Fletcher revealed an angry backlash from fans on social media, Barton responded, "I'll have to qualify that statement.

"I've just looked at Robbie Savage and Robbie got 39 Wales caps - so I probably would have only got 94-95 Wales caps. I take that back."

Still, Barton’s partial retraction did nothing to soften the initial blow for fans who took to social media to vent their disgust at the QPR player’s comments.

Barton's struggling QPR side currently lie second from bottom in the Premier League and four points from safety.

It is easy to see why fans have taken Barton's comments so badly given that he's played for only 17 minutes for England. The implication was, of course, that the quality of the home nations' sides is considerably worse than England's and that an average Premier League midfielder like Barton could essentially be a legend elsewhere. Barton's comments sounded very arrogant and, in the minds of many fans, ignorant. It is likely that he would have earned more caps playing for a country with fewer players to choose from, but 100 is a real stretch.