Stephen Warnock and Joleon Lescott have claimed that former Everton teammate Leighton Baines refused to represent England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The left-back, who earned 30 caps for his country before retiring in 2020, has consistently denied this, stating he was simply not selected by manager Fabio Capello.
World Cup 2010 Controversy
England endured a disappointing tournament in South Africa, struggling in the group stage before being eliminated by Germany in the round of 16 under controversial circumstances. Warnock, then a Liverpool defender, was part of the squad as backup to Ashley Cole. He admitted he did not expect to be chosen by Capello but claimed Baines was offered a spot and turned it down to avoid being away from his family.
Speaking on the In The Mixer podcast, Warnock said: "I absolutely loved it... The thing was, I didn't think I was going to go. We had two warm-up games. One of them we played Japan. I didn't play in either. Ash [Cole] played in one and Bainsey played in the other. I thought, 'I'm not going. That's me done.' Then I got a phone call when he got back..." Lescott interjected: "Bainsey didn't want to go, did he? He said, 'Nah, that ain't for me.'" Warnock confirmed: "He didn't want to be away from home."
Baines's Denials and Transfer Rumours
Lescott added that Baines was close to joining Bayern Munich but declined the move. "Bainsey wasn't on that. He didn't like it. He was close to going to Bayern Munich. Like really close. They really wanted him. Desperately wanted Leighton Baines." Warnock also mentioned a potential swap deal involving Gareth Bale and Baines, which was rejected by Everton manager David Moyes. "That's a Scouser thing really. We played Spurs and Harry Redknapp wanted to swap Gareth Bale for Baines... but David Moyes said no."
Despite these claims, Baines has repeatedly stated that he was not selected by Capello and would have been honored to play. The debate continues among fans and pundits about the true reasons behind his absence from the 2010 World Cup squad.
