Dual heritage plays a huge part in shaping the lives of many Black heritage Britons. It touches various aspects, from family, and food to music and culture – and, of course, that includes football.
Below are just some of the footballers born in Jamaica whose achievements are highlighted in our Black in the Game exhibition, from history-makers and groundbreakers, to those who went on to wear the Three Lions with pride.
Lindy Delapenha
Born in Spanish Town, Lindy’s talents were first spotted by a scout while serving with the Royal Fusiliers. The winger had a trial at Arsenal before signing for Portsmouth, making a handful of appearances for the South Coast club. In doing so, he became the first Jamaican to play a Football League fixture.
Whilst at Pompey, he became the first Black player to win the First Division championship, doing so in 1949 and again in 1950. At the time, his infrequent appearances meant that he did not qualify for winners’ medals, but his family would eventually receive commemorative silverware a few years after Lindy’s passing.
He would find more playing time at Middlesbrough, making one of the wide positions his own across nine seasons at Ayresome Park. There, he became something of a fan favourite, though it did not insluate Lindy from racist remarks from the sidelines.
John Barnes
Barnes was born in the Jamaican capital of Kingston but moved to London with his family at the age of 12. He was spotted playing for non-league side Sudbury Court, turning down the advances of Queen’s Park Rangers to sign for Graham Taylor’s Watford.The club provided Sudbury with a set of kits as payment – a transfer that proved to be the biggest bargain of the decade.
After six starring seasons at Vicarage Road, Barnes later achieved superstar status with Liverpool, moving to Merseyside for £900,000. Prior to the transfer, Barnes was offered to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who would later admit regretting not signing the winger.
At Liverpool, Barnes linked up with the likes of Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge and, later, the returning Ian Rush. He helped extend the club’s dominance under Sir Kenny Dalglish, and even in later years at Anfield, when his trademark pace had dimished, his technical skills rose to the fore in a more central playmaker role.
Internationally, some critics accused Barnes of underachieving compared to his glittering club form, but Barnes was perhaps a victim of England’s style of play, and he still netted 10 goals in 79 goals – including one of the greatest England goals ever scored, a slaloming run and finish against Brazil at the Maracana.
Luther Blissett
Barnes’ teammate at Vicarage Road, Luther Blissett, also turned heads. Thanks in no small part to Blissett and Barnes’ contributions, Watford were promoted in 1981, and would go on to shock the First Division with a runner-up finish the following year. Falmouth-born forward Blissett scored 27 goals that campaign, more than any other player.
He made an audacious £1 million pound move to AC Milan, and though it didn’t work out for him in one season at the San Siro – scoring five goals with the Serie A club – he returned to the Hornets for another four seasons, scoring 21 goals on his return..
Bizarrely, hos name has also become a pseudonym used by various artists and musicians to release projects anonymously. The use of the name originated in Italy, perhaps linked to Luther’s short time in Milan.
Raheem Sterling
Like Barnes, Raheem Sterling was born in the country’s capital, but moved to London with his mother at the age of five. Even at a very young age, while on the books at QPR, Sterling was already on the radar of top English clubs. The 15-year-old was eventually snapped up by Liverpool, making his debut just two years later.
Sterling fast rose to prominence as one of the club’s top young prospects, making his England debut just a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday. His pace and dribbling were often on show in his four seasons at Anfield, before developing even more intuitive attacking instincts at Manchester City.
At club level, Raheem won nultiple Premier League titles, League Cups and one FA Cup, and was a first-team regular for England for a decade.
Khadija Shaw
Finally, one of the most prolific forwards of the WSL era. Khadija “Bunny” Shaw joined Manchester City from Bordeaux in 2021. In four full seasons at the club, Shaw reached double figures in all compeittions, winning the WSL’s Golden Boot in 2024 and again in 2025.
Khadija has started this season in a somewhat similar vein, scoring four goals in her first seven WSL games, and will no doubt be a key part of manager Andree Jeglertz’s plans going forward.
At international level, the striker has remarkably scored more goals than games in which she has played ,netting 57 times in just 44 appearances.
All five players are featured in our Black in the Game exhibition, on display now in the Score Gallery.