Burnley-born stars rank among Lancashire’s most notable athletes in 2025

Two Burnley-born footballers have been named among Lancashire’s most popular professional athletes this year in a new ranking based on online fan interest.

Harrod Sport analysed the average monthly Wikipedia searches for over 27,000 UK-born athletes by birth county. Wikipedia’s traffic of more than 20 billion visits per month offers a real-time measure of which sports stars are generating the most public curiosity now and in recent years.

Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes, who was born in Burnley and broke into football via Leicester City’s academy aged nine, ranks second in Lancashire with an average of 36,480 searches per month. Despite recent injury struggles, he played a key role in Newcastle’s historic Carabao Cup final triumph—ending the club’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

Just behind him is Jay Rodriguez in third place. The former Burnley striker racks up 33,540 monthly searches, which is a testament to his enduring popularity after two spells with the Clarets, where he notched 76 goals in over 300 appearances.

Topping the Lancashire list is Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, with 47,520 monthly searches. The Lancaster-born Serie A winner enjoyed a stunning debut season in Italy, by earning both his first league title and being named the league’s MVP for 2024/25.

The 10 most notable Lancashire-born sportspeople in 2025

Based on the average number of Wikipedia profile searches per month

1. Scott McTominay (born in Lancaster): 47,520
2. Harvey Barnes (Burnley): 36,480
3. Jay Rodriguez (Burnley): 33,540
4. Wade Barrett (Penwortham): 30,120
5. Adam Wharton (Blackburn): 24,000
6. Phil Jones (Preston): 23,460
7. Gareth Ainsworth (Blackburn): 19,740
8. Phil Parkinson (Chorley): 19,050
9. Jack Catterall (Chorley): 18,000
10. Stephen Warnock (Ormskirk): 12,630

Beyond Lancashire’s wider footballing heritage, you can find former WWE wrestler Wade Barrett in fourth place, who was famously victorious in the 2015 edition of King of the Ring. While there is also room for Chorley-born boxer Jack Catterall in ninth place, who earns 18,000 searches per month.

Catterall is under the spotlight this week as he makes his final preparations for a debut welterweight fight against Harlem Eubank on Saturday 5th July.

Harrod Sport hopes their nationwide research helps to highlight how the UK produces a rich legacy of sporting heroes from all parts of the country. As part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support local sports development, they recently announced the winners of their seventh annual Ron Harrod Foundation, which dedicates funding to the next generation of up-and-coming athletes.

Commenting on their research, Kevin Utton, Sport Sales and Marketing Director at Harrod Sport, said: “We carried out this research as a celebration of the UK’s greatest sportspeople. In the fast-paced world of pro sports, athletes in the past and present often fade from the limelight.

We believe it is important to continue to recognise iconic athletes and their legacy in order to inspire the next generation of sporting stars, many of whom look to their hometown professional athletes as role models.”

For more insights from Harrod Sport's research and to see which athletes topped the list in other English counties, visit: https://www.harrodsport.com/advice-and-guides/hometown-heroes