Former England midfielder Joey Barton has defended Jamie Carragher amid backlash over his AFCON remarks, insisting no African defender has surpassed the former Liverpool star.
Carragher recently faced criticism from African football legends after downplaying AFCON’s significance, claiming it is not a major tournament.
Speaking on the Common Sense Podcast, Barton backed Carragher, arguing that no African defender has been better.
“Africa has never produced a better defender than Jamie Carragher. Can anybody name a better African defender than Jamie Carragher? Kolo Touré was never better than Carragher.
“It’s a great continent that has produced phenomenal talent and deserves to be taken seriously as a major tournament, but you can’t name me one defender who was better than Carragher,” he said.
Following the controversy, Carragher has since clarified his comments, admitting his choice of words was clumsy.