By moving across Stanley Park from Everton to Liverpool - and by admitting that he wanted to play for the Reds - Barmby made himself a whole new set of friends... and a whole new set of enemies to boot.

The player himself arrived at Anfield on the back of his best season for many years. Things were really gelling at Everton and Walter Smith was getting the best out of him on the left side of midfield.

Things were looking up by the time he made it into Kevin Keegan's Euro 2000 squad - the surprise package in the 22 - on the back of fine performances in the warm-ups.

And they got even better - or far, far worse if you're an Everton fan - when he switched to Liverpool for a fee of £6million in the summer of 2000.

Began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, and it was while at White Hart Lane that he made his England breakthrough in 1995 when former Spurs boss manager Terry Venables brought him on as a substitute against Uruguay.

However, the midfielder's international career never really took off, despite three goals in ten games, and it was only five years later that Keegan brought him back into the squad full-time.

In the meantime, Barmby had moved to Premiership yo-yo club Middlesbrough for £5.25million in the summer of 1995, before the Toffeemen took him to Goodison Park for £5.75million 14 months later.

Sven Goran Eriksson elected to play him against Spain in February 2001 and Barmby repaid his new manager with the opening goal as England went on to win 3-0 and give Eriksson a victorious debut.

His fine performances for Liverpool - both domestically and in Europe - have kept him in the England frame. Unfortunately Barmby missed the last two months of the 2000/01 season, when Liverpool played three cup finals, through injury.

Returned for the start of the 2001/02 season, immediately brought back into Eriksson's plans, but again injury would blight his season. Barmby was ruled out in mid-October, and would only make three more appearances over the remainder of the season.

As Liverpool strengthened for the 2002/03 campaign, the rumour mill had Barmby on the move to a host of clubs, but in the end he would move to Leeds United for a bargain £2.75million at the start of August 2002.

The move would see the Hull-born player re-united with Venables, the man who groomed him at Spurs and handed him his England bow.

Barmby said when signing on the dotted line: 'It had to be something special for me to leave Liverpool because I enjoyed it there. I heard of Leeds' interest and the chance to work with Terry again was a draw. It's a thrill for me and I'm looking forward to it.