John Beresford

John Beresford MBE (born 4 September 1966) is an English former football player who played as a defender, who is currently a pundit for ESPN.

Beresford was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. In his footballing career he played for clubs Manchester City, Finn Harps F.C. Barnsley, Portsmouth, Newcastle United,Southampton and Birmingham City.

He is best known for his Newcastle United spell between 1992 and 1998, with his attacking tendencies being crucial to "the Entertainers". During this time Beresford formed a formidable partnership with the other full back, his doppelgänger Warren Barton. One of the highlights of his time at Newcastle was scoring twice in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Croatia Zagreb in 1997.

In a Premier League match against Aston Villa on 14 April 1996, Beresford was substituted after 25 minutes by manager Kevin Keegan after an argument between them that took place during play. The player later apologized for his behavior, but did not play another game that season. By the following campaign, he had won his place back in the team.

Beresford is also known for missing his spot kick in the 1992 FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout against Liverpool while playing for Portsmouth. Liverpool agreed to sign him after the end of that season, but he failed a medical evaluation and Kevin Keegan signed him for Newcastle instead. Beresford won two England 'B' caps in 1994, against Northern Ireland 'B' and the Republic of Ireland 'B'. He was also called up as cover for the senior England squad in March 1993.

Newcastle United

• Football League First Division: 1992–93
• FA Premier League: runner up: 1995–96, 1996–97
• FA Cup runner-up: 1997–98

Individual

• Awarded the MBE in 2017 for 20 years service to Show Racism the Red Card, the Anti-Racism Education Charity.