Bad boy Barton beaten up

The midfielder was involved in a fight with two men, and a picture of the incident, apparently showing a shirtless Barton being held back by police and a woman, appeared on Twitter.

But Barton played down the incident and revealed he would not press charges.

Joey Barton. PIC/Getty Images

"Not planning on pressing charges as its not that serious. The police have also got better things to do with their time," he wrote on Twitter.

Ian Taylor, a spokesman for QPR, added: "Joey Barton was involved in an incident in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of Monday morning. Barton was on his way home from a night out with his girlfriend when two men sang offensive chants and then proceeded to hit the R's midfielder. Police were immediately on the scene and arrested one man."

Liverpool-born Barton has a long history of controversy on and off the pitch and has become well-known for his voicing his opinions about football and the world at large on Twitter.

Last month, Barton was given a 12-match ban by the Football Association (FA), after being sent off during QPR's defeat at Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season.