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Ross Barkley has insisted he learned “a big lesson” after the Chelsea midfielder was criticised by Frank Lampard for getting involved in an argument with a taxi driver in Liverpool three days before their Champions League match against Lille in October.
Barkley, who made his first Chelsea appearance in almost three months and scored in the 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Sunday, was described as “naive” by Lampard following the incident in which the player was reportedly escorted to a cash machine by two police officers after spilling chips in a taxi and refusing to give the driver money for the mess.
Asked if the incident had taught him a lesson, Barkley said: “Yes, a big lesson. You have got to be aware of your surroundings when you let you hair down for any player out there. You have just got to be aware of what’s around you. It is just more about being with the right company and in private.
“When you play in the Premier League, you are a high-profile player, so it is about keeping low-key and switched on. When you are on holiday or away you need the right people around you. I have made that mistake and it won’t happen again but I am sure it will happen to young players in the future. We all make mistakes but it is about being aware.”
Back in the day players wouldn’t have to think about things like that but you can’t forget people want to make you look bad. I am a very professional player but that 10 seconds doesn’t make you look professional. That’s just the way football is now with phones. You have to adapt to the way things are now.”
Barkley was also accused by Lampard of “showing a lack of professionalism” after being pictured shirtless in a Dubai nightclub at the end of November as he recovered from an ankle injury, although the England midfielder admitted his manager has been “really supportive” since the incidents.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” he said. “When you make mistakes, you have got to learn from them. I am 26 now and I understand when you make a mistake, learn from them and move on. He was really supportive. Lampard was one of the best players in the world and I am sure when he was a player he liked to let his hair down at the right times. He fully understands in his day that there was none of that. It is more that people want to make you look bad, but it is in my hands and other players hands to not be in that position.”
Having started both of England’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria in October, the ankle injury Barkley picked up during Chelsea’s win against Newcastle was compounded by a chipped bone in his right foot which has kept him on the sidelines for longer than he had hoped. But with the opportunity to be part of Gareth Southgate’s squad for this summer’s tournament, he is desperate to make up for lost time.
“Hopefully [Southgate] will have seen I have scored – which he probably will – and then we have got a lot of games until the next England meet-up,” said Barkley. “But the main thing is to focus on helping us progress [at Chelsea] and get our home form much better so we can kick on and get higher up the table.”
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