Roberto Martinez Tipped Starlet to Become ‘Best England Player Ever’ in 2014

Over the years, there have been plenty of soon-to-be talents on English shores that have never quite been able to reach what was initially expected of them: the likes of Ravel Morrison, Michael Johnson, Nick Powell and Shaun Wright-Phillips all spring to mind.

In the world of football fan culture, there are few feelings as exhilarating as watching the emergence of a young talent who loves nothing more than playing for the badge – the hype naturally builds, but there is always every chance of that crashing and burning.

And while that didn’t happen in the case of central midfielder Ross Barkley, it’s not unfair to say that the once-promising wonderkid didn’t live up to his billing after graduating from Everton’s tried-and-tested academy, which had produced none other than Wayne Rooney.

Liverpool-born Barkley’s career has been nothing short of tumultuous with ups and downs round every corner, sandwiched by a glimmer of praise from ex-Everton boss Roberto Martinez. A supposed star in the making, what happened to the central midfielder?

Martinez Tipped Barkley to Become Three Lions Royalty

Tipped for greatness from the off, it was his Everton manager who backed him most. Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, per a report from ESPN, were all interested parties in the race for his signature. Of course, he eventually joined the latter.

On the international stage, the prospect of Barkley – a young, hungry midfielder who was practically unstoppable when at his roaring best – was exciting. A raw, yet unique, talent, he was physically explosive, allowing him to shrug off opponents with ease.

Technically sound, too, he made his Three Lions debut under Roy Hodgson in September 2013 at the tender age of 19 and even got decent game time at the 2014 World Cup before not featuring at Euro 2016. Things began to look bleak and his last outing for his nation came in late 2019 – a 6-0 win over Bulgaria.

That said, there was a particular figure in his life who believed he would reach the very top of England folklore and be remembered among some of the greats, such as Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Bobby Moore – and that was the ex-Toffees chief Martinez.

While speaking at a fans’ gala evening at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, Martinez was particularly complimentary of Barkley and shocked fans by suggesting that he could surpass Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton as England’s greatest-ever player.

Martinez, who has been in charge of the Portugal national team since January 2023, said: “All he wants to do is play football, and he will also be the biggest asset Everton have ever had. Players are big assets, and I think you have to be able to cope with that.”

At that time, then-boss Martinez suggested that the Merseyside-based outfit had ‘no desire’ to sell their prized asset and that Goodison Park, regarded as one of the best stadiums in Premier League history, was the optimal place for his development.

Gary Lineker, back in 2013, also chimed in on the praise. “Ross Barkley is a star in the making. Prodigious talent,” the striker-turned-pundit wrote on X (formerly Twitter) before concluding: “England have a real player.”

On the international stage, the 1993-born star racked up a total of 33 caps in a six-year period between his debut in 2013 and his final appearance, in 2019, and struggled to assert himself under a throng of different managers. Perhaps a story of what could have been.

Barkley’s Career of Unfulfilled Promise

Barkley, all the while making his dreams come true, made a name for himself at his boyhood club Everton. Having been there since 2005, he jumped up the academy ranks before getting a shot at senior proceedings in 2011. It didn’t take long to break his duck.

In August 2011, the midfielder contributed a 90-minute display in a 1-0 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers – but irrespective of the result, Everton had unearthed a star, it seemed. In 2012, he was shipped out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

Another loan spell at Elland Road, home to Leeds United, came in the latter half of the 2012/13 campaign before Chelsea, who ultimately beat off fierce competition for his signature, struck a deal – but he seldom logged a string of games in London.

Barkley’s loan move from Chelsea to Aston Villa – in September 2020, when his playing days took something of a hit after the initial promise – took many fans by surprise, but he returned to west London, somewhat at a crossroads in his career, in the summer of 2021.

The options available to the Chelsea custodian, who was Frank Lampard at the time, always made a departure inevitable, but he was left without a club in August 2022 before French side Nice pounced on his free agency just a month later.

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From the south-eastern coast of France, Barkley returned to his homeland to ply his trade for Rob Edwards’ Luton Town in 2023 and, as a result, was commonly recognised as one of the best Premier League signings of the summer for his exploits.

On the back of his form, Unai Emery’s interest was piqued and the Spaniard signed the Englishman – but, even when available, he largely plays a bit-part role at Villa Park, a sad state of affairs given how coveted he was in the infancy of his career.

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 02/04/26