John Barnes has revealed he had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with cancer.
The former Liverpool and England forward said he only found out after his children pushed for him to get checked.
‘Men have to then bite the bullet and swallow their pride and admit if they have problems and say it,’ the 62-year-old told Jane and Fi on Times Radio. ‘So it’s a good thing that that has come out.
‘I’m fine. I have my PSA and everything is OK. The thing about it is that a lot of men don’t want to admit it or want to have it done because it makes them feel less than a man.
‘But you’re not, you’re exactly the same, you’re the same person and you’re around and that’s the main thing.’
Barnes’s diagnosis was revealed on the same day fellow Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish accidentally posted that he has cancer.
John Barnes has revealed he had his prostate removed after a cancer diagnosis
The news comes on the same day that fellow Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish (left) revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer
The 75-year-old accidentally shared his condition in a now-deleted social media post before admitting that he would have preferred to keep his diagnosis private.
He then clarified: ‘As my inadvertent social media post has indicated, I am currently undergoing treatment for cancer. Unlike my mobile phone use, the treatment is going well.
‘Ideally, this would have remained private because that’s the way it should be, but my useless technology skills have forced my hand.
‘Obviously I did not mean to make this matter public so I would appreciate it if the privacy of my family and myself are respected.
‘As ever, thank you to the wonderful medical staff who have shown incredible care and discretion, not just for me but for many, many others. They are a credit to themselves.’
Barnes joined Liverpool in 1987 from Watford and went on to make 407 appearances for the club, scoring 108 goals.
He was part of the side that won two league titles in the 1987–88 and 1989–90 seasons, while he also won two FA Cups and one League Cup.
The left winger was also capped 79 times for England, playing at both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.
Barnes was capped 79 times for England and played 407 times for Liverpool
Earlier this year the Government announced an investment of over £20m to improve prostate cancer research and treatment.
They also improved access to a major trial for black men, with those aged between 45 and 74 invited to take part in a prostate cancer screening trial.
Barnes described the initiative as a ‘good thing’.
Barnes and Dalglish played together at Liverpool between 1987 and 1990, while Dalglish also managed the side from 1985 until 1991 – signing Barnes for the Reds.
They would later work together at Celtic, with Barnes manager from 1999 to 2000, and Dalglish acting as director of football.
