Football legend John Barnes would put Bermuda back on the footballing map should he become the BFA's next technical director, according to former English Premiership star Shaun Goater.

It is understood Barnes, a former England and Liverpool ace, has officially applied for the crucial position and is unsurprisingly on the BFA's short-list with interviews to be staged next month.

Earlier this year The Royal Gazette revealed the ex-Celtic coach had expressed an interest in the role, e-mailing the BFA his resumé on request, after being sounded out by Goater, who knows Barnes from his time playing in England.

He reckons Barnes' Caribbean heritage and world-wide appeal makes him a standout candidate, ensuring he would hit the ground running if offered the pivotal post.

"It's a very exciting prospect to have somebody of John Barnes' calibre and international experience in this job," said Goater.

"He's a world-wide footballing figure and would really put Bermuda back on the map. John Barnes has played at the highest level and coached at the highest level at Celtic.

"For me, these qualities make him an ideal candidate for the technical director's job.

"I'm almost certain he would do extremely well here and be very popular with the players and public. He's from a background Bermudians can relate to and I'm sure he would relate to our culture."

Back in February, BFA president Larry Mussenden confirmed he had e-mailed Barnes requesting his CV following Goater's initial contact. "We are happy and encouraged to receive news that somebody like John Barnes could be interested (in the technical director's job)," he told the Gazette at the time.

Barnes, who was born in Jamaica, tasted management at Celtic in 1999 with his former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish as director of football. But he endured a troubled time with the Scottish giants, falling behind archrivals Glasgow Rangers in the league, and received his marching orders after his side suffered a miserable defeat against minnows Inverness 3-1 at Celtic Park.

But despite the brief and forgettable spell, Goater believes the respect Barnes would command with his 79 England caps, two Championship titles and an FA Cup, would give him an advantage over rival candidates. "Everyone's aware of what he achieved during his playing career and I believe that would give him great momentum in this job," he said. "He would have the respect of the players and coaches and once you have that momentum you can achieve things earlier on.

"Other candidates may be as qualified but it's unlikely they would be able to command the same instant respect. John Barnes would inspire people straight away.

"That's not to say the other candidates on the BFA's short-list could not do a great job, but it would probably take them a lot longer to build up the same momentum that John Barnes would start with.

"It's a decision for the BFA to make and I'm sure they will get the right man for the job."

Barnes racked up 732 career appearances for four English clubs, scoring 198 goals in total — though many pundits feel he never made the most of his ability at international level, despite being the most capped black England footballer.

Since leaving Celtic Barnes has carved out a career as a TV football pundit and is currently appearing in the English version of Strictly Come Dancing.