It would be great to play for England again, says Barton
Born-again midfielder is loving life in the capital and wants to play until he is 40 – after a spell abroad
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Your support makes all the difference.Joey Barton admits he would welcome an England call-up and could see himself playing until he is 40. The 29-year-old moved to Queen's Park Rangers in the summer from Newcastle, where he had performed with aplomb over the previous two seasons.
Barton's form on Tyneside has been complemented by impressive performances in his short time with Rangers, which has led to calls for the midfielder to add to the lone England cap he won in 2007.
"It would be great to play for England again," Barton said. "I feel really sharp, as I should do having just turned 29 and I'm enjoying my football. I think I'll play until I'm about 38 or 40 because my game is not based on pace or power, it's all about knowledge of football and manipulating the ball, so I'm confident I can play for a long time."
Barton also hinted he might like a move abroad: "If I decide to coach or manage in the future, it would be prudent to have experienced a different culture or philosophy of football. Or even just experiencing how the approach changes when you manage players from different backgrounds or cultures. If the opportunity arose to play abroad I'd definitely consider it."
The Liverpool-born midfielder admits he is loving life at QPR and is embracing everything London has to offer. "I like to jump on the Tube. I'm not a big fan of driving so once I get the internet set up at my new place I'll order my Oyster card and get going properly on the buses and the underground. I'm not attracted by the bright lights of the city but there are things in this place I want to do to broaden my horizons. I was in Soho the other day and there's loads of characters around there.
"I like people-watching and was able to look at everyone and think 'maybe I'm not as peculiar as I once was'. It feels great to be here. There's a lot more to see and do in London and that appeals to me. But I also like to sit in on a Saturday watching X-Factor and Match of the Day."
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