Joey Barton is arguing with freshers in Philosophy lectures

He’s the footie bad boy who assaulted a team mate with a cigar, spent six months behind bars, and is sent off once every 45 games.

Now misunderstood Joey Barton is clashing with his fresher classmates at Roehampton university.

The QPR midfielder is doing a part-time philosophy degree at the uni and told The Sun he regularly gets into verbal altercations with his fellow students.

Joey said: “My first seminar paper that I had to read out in class was ‘Is death bad for the person who dies?’, and I was obviously against.

“I don’t believe in an afterlife or anything like that. It split the class, and I got attacked from all sides.

“You have the students and the teacher all challenging you on your views.

“Your job is to stand there and argue the merits of your paper, and I’m very argumentative.

“At first there was a bit of a novelty effect and I think a few lads in the class challenged me because they wanted to say, ‘I’ve defeated him on a philosophical point’.

“Whenever you voice an opinion, there will be people who take exception to it. You have to fight the merits of your ideas, and that’s one type of fight I’m still prepared to have.”

Barton is 18 months into a four year course at the uni, and said he wanted to live in halls but couldn’t play professional football at the same time.

He previously admitted to The Telegraph that he was one of those guys who asks loads of questions in lectures.

He said: “The other students at Roehampton get annoyed with me at times because I can draw out an hour lecture into two hours asking questions. I have an inquisitive brain.

“I carry a bag of books around with me at all times. I’m reading Machiavelli’s The Prince. All the stuff in class at the moment is about dualism, materialism and Epicurus’ Letter to Menoeceus.

“In the physio-room we have a lot of debates. I come in and say: ‘This is the question posed today: Is death bad for the person who dies?’ The lads will chip in.”