Joey Barton ridiculed Mary Earps after she won the BBC SPOTY Award (Picture: Getty / Metro)

Joey Barton has branded England hero Mary Earps ‘a big sack of spuds’ and claims she didn’t deserve to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The 30-year-old was a key part of the Lionesses side which reached the Women’s World Cup final in the summer and won FIFA’s Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.

Manchester United’s No1. saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the final, but the Lionesses were unable to add to their 2022 European crown as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Sydney.

Earps claimed the BBC award ahead of England cricketer Stuart Broad, who retired at the end of the fifth Ashes Test in the summer, and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

For Earps, it was the culmination of a scarcely believable last 12 months, but Barton felt the prestigious gong should have gone to either legendary jockey Frankie Dettori, or seven-times world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Mary Earps beat now retired England cricketer Stuart Broad to the BBC award (Picture: Getty)

Mary Earps shot to national acclaim with her penalty save in England’s World Cup final defeat against Spain (Picture: Getty)

Barton, currently out of work following his recent sacking by Bristol Rovers, has caused uproar in recent weeks with a string of sexist views on the increasingly prominent role women are playing in the coverage of men’s football.

The former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder accused England legend Alex Scott of not being qualified to comment on Premier League football and shows no sign of dropping his agenda.

After initially congratulating Earps last night, Barton changed his tune on Wednesday morning, directing his ire at a ‘weak culture’ that has created a ‘culture of snowflakes’.

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‘To win before Ronnie O’Sullivan and Frankie Dettori…?’ he wrote on X. Well, that’s just madness to me.

‘Both almost genius like in their respective fields. They’ve lost to a big sack of spuds that plays in goal for a girls team.

‘That’s the world we live in. This all started with the ‘Everyone’s a Winner’ sport’s days. This is what happens when you celebrate mediocre. You breed this weak culture. A culture of losers.

‘A culture of snowflakes.’

MORE : Manchester United and England goalkeeper Mary Earps wins Sports Personality of the Year 2023

MORE : Piers Morgan under fire for blasting Mary Earps’ deserved SPOTY win

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‘They’ve lost to a big sack of spuds that plays in goal for a girls team.’