Barton joined the Everton youth program to pursue his goal of playing professional football, but when he was 14 he began playing for Liverpool. He went through trials with Nottingham Forest but was turned down because he was deemed too little to play football.
Barton claimed that being rejected by clubs just strengthened his will to excel as a footballer and disprove his critics. In 1999, he made his debut for Manchester City’s under-17 squad. In his last year as a trainee, he made his debut with the reserve squad after the 2000–01 campaign.
He was set to be released by the team because they were unsure of his future possibilities, but they later changed their minds and offered him his first professional contract during the offseason.
He transitioned from the under-19s to regular reserve football over the following two years. In the 2002–03 season, he was elevated to the first-team group.
Barton returned to Burnley on January 2, 2017, despite the possibility of an FA ban, and made his second Burnley debut in a scoreless draw with Sunderland in the FA Cup third round. On January 14, Barton made his league comeback. He replaced another player in the 73rd minute, and five minutes later, he scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Southampton.
