Joey Barton criticises Mary Earps saying he would hit '100 out of 100 penalties' against her

Joey Barton has criticised England goalkeeper Mary Earps Credit: PA

Former football manager Joey Barton has criticised England goalkeeper Mary Earps, saying he would score '100 out of 100 penalties' against her.

Earps was crowned Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) on Tuesday night and received her award as part of a prestigious ceremony in Manchester to celebrate some of the standout sporting moments of 2023.

Barton took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to post an explicit rant about the Lionesses star.

He wrote: "I’d score 100 out of 100 penalties against Mary Earps. Any day of the week. Twice on a f*****g Sunday. #perspective."

Barton had been the head coach of League One football club Bristol Rovers before he was sacked in October after the club hit a losing streak under his management.

In another post, he shared a video from the ITV Football account of Earps saving a penalty during the Women's World Cup final earlier this year.

In response to the video, Barton wrote: "That’s a bad penalty and she’s clearly off her line very early. No retake? SPOTY for that! Drop me out."

Earps was a crucial part of the Lionesses' performance in the World Cup over the summer, where the team reached the final for the first time in history.

She was then awarded the Golden Glove for being the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Her recognition through the Sports Personality of the Year award was congratulated by some big names, including the Prince of Wales, who wrote on X: "Hugely well deserved, Mary. Congratulations! W".

This is not the first time Barton has publicly commented on women footballers, having made disparaging remarks on December 6 about female commentators.

England's goalkeeper Mary Earps won the Adidas Golden Glove. Credit: AP

The sacked manager took to X to say that women "shouldn't be talking with any kind of authority in the men's game".

"Come on. Let's be serious," he said. "It's a completely different game. If you don't accept that. We will always see things differently.

"The women's game is thriving. Fantastic to see. I cannot take a thing they say serious in the men's arena."

Barton has been widely condemned for his comments.

Bristol Rovers did not immediately respond to ITV News' request for comment.

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