Joey Barton brands Gary Lineker 'crisp nonce' - just a week after judge ruled similar vile post about Jeremy Vine was defamatory

Joey Barton has called Gary Lineker a 'crisp nonce' in a series of vile posts similar to those which the former Manchester City player wrote about Jeremy Vine.  

The 41-year-old made the vile comment about the Match of the Day presenter on X earlier today, seemingly referencing Linker's role as a brand ambassador for Walkers. 

Barton was responding to two posts made by Lineker on the social media site this morning in which he twice called Lineker a 'crisp nonce' as well as a 'virtue signalling t***'.

It is the latest in a series of incendiary posts made by the Premier League footballer turned manager about a number of well known broadcasters after infamously claiming female pundits 'shouldn't be talking with any authority' in the sport.

Just last week Barton lost a libel case brought by Jeremy Vine after a judge ruled that a social media post, similar to that which he posted about Lineker, calling the Radio 4 presenter a 'bike nonce' was defamatory.

Vine sued the former footballer for libel and harassment over 14 online posts, including one where he called Mr Vine a 'big bike nonce' and a 'pedo defender' on X, formerly Twitter.

High Court judge Mrs Justice Steyn today ruled that 11 of the posts, which the former Manchester City player shared to his 2.8 million followers, could defame Mr Vine.

The tirade of abuse came after Mr Vine questioned whether Mr Barton had a brain injury in response to a post where the footballer compared female football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West.

This led to Mr Barton launching a 'calculated and sustained attack on Mr Vine' in early January this year, the court heard.

Mr Barton published several posts over the following days and began using '#bikenonce' on X, which led to it trending on the platform, the court was told.

Lineker previously called out Barton for his behaviour on the football pitch, as in 2012 he criticised the then QPR player after he was sent off on the last day of the season against Manchester City.

Lineker found himself caught up in an online spat with the player after defending comments made by his co-presenter and former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer. 

He wrote in 2012: 'Hear @Joey7Barton had a dig at Shearer. Is this an attempt, I wonder, to deflect from the obvious and deserved criticisms coming his way?'

Barton responded to Lineker telling him: 'no deflections here mate. Think the fact about 100m people seen it will see to that. Just don't like how he gets personal...

'Things happen on the pitch, in the heat of battle sometimes. Not how we always plan them to happen.'

The argument continued as Lineker once again responded saying: 'Still raging then? Still kicking out? And still, presumably, misunderstood? But only by yourself I suspect.'

This riled Barton to put up a cryptic threat saying: 'do u wanna go there publicly "Mr Squeaky Clean" ? Think u should have a look in that vast closet of skeletons before u respond. 

'I know a lot about THAT side to u the people don't and won't bat an eye lid at exposing u. So mind ur manners Squeaky... now back under your stone you odious little toad...' 

Finally he added: 'Right enough about yesterday, I apologise to everyone offended by it. If that's not enough for some, so be it. Life is too short.' 

Mr Barton's career saw him play for teams including Manchester City, Newcastle United and French side Marseille, before managing English Football League sides Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.

Barton's skills on the pitch were overtaken during his career by how his outbursts both on it and off.

He put a cigar in the eye of fellow Man City player Jason Tandy at a 2004 Christmas party resulting in a docking of six weeks' wages. 

In 2007 he was involved in a training ground brawl with Ousmane Dabo, which led to a six-match ban and the courts handing him a four-month suspended sentence for actual bodily harm.

A year later in 2008 he was sentenced to six months in prison for assault and affray for his part in a fight in Liverpool city centre.

And the footballer was handed a 12-match ban after he elbowed Carlos Tevez in the throat during a match between Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City in 2012.