John Barnes has revealed the secret behind his decision to wear tights in stages during his Liverpool career.

The legendary winger - who scored 108 goals in 407 games for the Reds - was known to sport short tights and gloves during his playing days.

Now, writing in the Daily Mail, he has explained all.

He writes: "It's time to reveal a secret. I may have been the first man to wear tights during the Premier League era but it had nothing to do with reasons of fitness.

"Quite simply, I wore those leggings for one, simple reason: to keep myself warm. It had nothing to do with keeping my hamstrings protected or to prevent muscle strains. All I wanted to do was protect myself against the elements.

"I'll explain. I didn't come over to England from Jamaica until I was 13 and no matter what I tried, I just couldn't get used to the cold. I was permanently freezing through winter. And when I was cold, I just didn't feel comfortable playing football.

"So in order to try and combat things, I used to get a hot bath before kick-off to raise my body temperature. Gary Lineker used to something similar but whereas he used to only get into his waist, I would completely submerge myself.

"That used to help during the winter months but when I got the chance to wear tights, I took the chance. I didn't hesitate to wear gloves, either, though I never went as far as Thierry Henry and some others by wearing a snood.

"As you can imagine, being in a dressing room like Liverpool's where there were so many lively characters, I did get some funny looks but, thankfully, I managed to avoid the kind of ribbing that others might have got.

"By the time winter arrived when I was at Liverpool, I was playing okay and had scored a few goals. If I hadn't done that, then you can be rest assured there would have been some choice words from our legendary old coach, Ronnie Moran!

"And don't think they were specially made for me, either. I'm sure now that all the sports manufacturers are producing leggings that cost hundreds of pounds but mine were nothing as flashy. If I remember rightly, mine came from C&A!"