What started as a social media spat has now spiraled into a full-on feud.
Former footballer Joey Barton has reignited his very public beef with pundit Gary Neville — and this time, it’s got deeply personal.
After months of tension, Barton took to his podcast this week to unleash a blistering, foul-mouthed rant aimed straight at Neville.
And it’s clear: things have reached boiling point.
Barton Crosses the Line Again With Vile Rant
It all dates back to last season when Barton stirred major controversy by targeting female football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.
He didn’t just criticize their work — he likened them to infamous serial killers Fred and Rose West.
Unsurprisingly, the backlash was instant. ITV, where both Aluko and Ward work, slammed Barton’s remarks as “contemptible and shameful.”
Neville publicly stood by his colleagues, calling Barton’s comments a step too far.
Barton Calls It “Warfare” and Goes All In on Neville
This week, on his podcast, Barton claimed Neville’s reaction to the situation has permanently burned their bridge.
“He’s crossed the threshold for me now,” Barton fumed. “It’s warfare.
I tried to be nice with you, because I thought you had good intentions, but you piled on there.”
The tirade didn’t stop there — Barton veered from personal insults to bizarre rants, dragging in Neville’s family, mocking his marriage, and even suggesting he watches porn with Linkin Park blasting in his ears.
Barton Mocks Neville’s Family Life and Career
In one of the more surreal parts of the rant, Barton made wild and invasive comments about Neville’s home life and even childhood.
He joked about the Neville family “all sleeping in the same bed” and threw in a strange jab about Neville’s choice of sneakers, saying, “If I see you out in them lad… you are getting terrorised.”
He also mocked Neville’s wife, Emma, claiming she isn’t interested in him, before inventing a cringeworthy fake scenario involving cones, warm-ups, and scheduled marital intimacy.
Neville Hasn’t Replied Directly, But He’s Made His Views Clear
While Neville hasn’t directly engaged with Barton since the podcast dropped, his original reaction to the feud made his stance crystal clear.
Back when Barton first compared Aluko and Ward to serial killers, Neville backed ITV’s statement and offered his own thoughts, bringing up how these kinds of remarks impact women in sport — including his own family members.
Neville explained that his daughters enjoy football, his mother faced misogyny in the sport back in the 1960s, and his sister struggled for funding in her own sporting career.
“It’s bloody hard work for women to succeed in sport and media as it is without this stuff,” he said.
Barton Threatens Again and Says He’ll Decide When It’s “Too Far”
Rather than back down, Barton seemed to double down after Neville’s defense of Aluko and Ward, tweeting a veiled threat:
“Gary, please keep your head down or you will get emptied as well.
I’ll decide when it’s gone too far. Not you.”
The threat was one of several aggressive jabs, with Barton claiming Neville should focus on his many business interests and “worry about one of the other 3758 things you’ve got going on.”
Feud Escalates With No Signs of Cooling Off
For now, Barton continues to rage publicly, while Neville remains largely silent apart from his earlier dignified response.
But if Barton’s podcast is anything to go by, this feud isn’t about to die down soon — and it’s clear the line between banter and bullying has been crossed.