POPULAR football pundit Michelle Owen aimed a sarcastic dig at controversial ex-Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton after he criticised women punditry on the men's game.

Michelle, a former Newtown High School student,  is one of the UK's leading female sports presenters and is currently presenting Sky Sports EFL coverage.

She has been part of the ITV Football team covering the men's FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

She also presented Wales’ successful 2022 World Cup qualification campaign live on Sky.

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Michelle worked her way up in the industry from the very early days of hospital and student radio to roles at commercial stations including Capital FM.

While presenting on the radio, Michelle began reporting on football matches for Soccer Saturday and eventually switched to sports broadcasting full-time.

Her passion for football started at an early age and she went on to play in the Women’s Premier League.​

However, controversial ex-Manchester City player Barton said women should not be 'talking with any kind of authority in the men's game.'

​He tweeted on Tuesday: "Women shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game. Come on. Let’s be serious. It’s a completely different game. If you don’t accept that we will always see things differently.

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"The women’s game is thriving. Fantastic to see. I cannot take a thing they say serious in the men’s arena."

The controversial star has come under fire for his comments about women  after doubling down in an interview with Piers Morgan this week.

Barton - known for stubbing out a cigar in the eye of young team-mate at a Christmas party - took exception to any female football presenting roster.

Barton, who was jailed in 2008 for affray, told Morgan: "I don't want to see sexism in football, but if we don't debate the role of women in football broadcasting properly, this is just going to rise and rise, and ruin the experience of watching elite-level men's football."

"Everywhere you turn now, there's an unqualified opinion pontificating about the sport I love, and it's ruining my experience - to fuel this woke agenda, and it's going to increase sexism massively, because it has to be a true meritocracy. We have to have people who are qualified to do those roles."

Michelle took aim at the comments and replied to Barton: "Let’s hope you’re not looking for punditry work if that coaching thing doesn’t work out…"