Barry Bannan facts for kids
Bannan playing for Scotland in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 December 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Airdrie, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (1.69 m) | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sheffield Wednesday | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1999 | Lenzie Youth Club | ||
| 1999–2002 | Albion Rovers | ||
| 2002–2004 | Celtic | ||
| 2004–2008 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2013 | Aston Villa | 64 | (1) |
| 2009 | → Derby County (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | → Blackpool (loan) | 20 | (1) |
| 2011 | → Leeds United (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Crystal Palace | 22 | (1) |
| 2015 | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2015– | Sheffield Wednesday | 393 | (33) |
| National team | |||
| 2009–2010 | Scotland U21 | 10 | (1) |
| 2009 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2017 | Scotland | 27 | (0) |
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Barry Ryan Bannan (born 1 December 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer. He plays as a central midfielder and is the captain for the English club Sheffield Wednesday.
Barry Bannan started his football journey at Albion Rovers. He then joined the youth academies of Celtic and later Aston Villa. After playing for their youth and reserve teams, he made his first senior appearance for Aston Villa in 2008. To gain more experience, he was loaned to other clubs like Derby County, Blackpool, and Leeds United. In 2013, he moved to Crystal Palace. After a short loan spell at Bolton Wanderers, he joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2015. Barry has also played for the Scotland national team since 2010, earning 27 caps.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting Out
Barry Bannan was born in Airdrie, Scotland. He began playing football at a local youth club called Lenzie Youth Club. When he was nine years old, he was a ball boy for Albion Rovers. During a match, he impressed everyone by juggling the ball and flicking it over a player's head! The chairman of Albion Rovers was very impressed.
In 2002, Barry joined Celtic's youth academy. At 14, he got a chance to try out for Aston Villa in England. He played in a tournament in Germany, where his team won, and Barry was named the best player! Soon after, he signed a two-year contract with Aston Villa.
Time at Aston Villa
Early Days at Villa
In the 2007–08 season, Barry scored 13 goals for Villa's youth team. They won the Premier Academy League title. He also played for the reserve team, which won their league. After this successful season, he signed a professional contract with Aston Villa.
Barry made his first team debut for Aston Villa in December 2008 in a UEFA Cup match. He came on as a substitute. His first full game was also in the UEFA Cup in February 2009.
Loan Spells
To get more experience, Barry was loaned to Championship clubs. In March 2009, he joined Derby County for a month. He scored his first league goal on his debut for Derby. His loan was extended, and he played ten games for them.
In November 2009, Barry went on loan to Blackpool. He made his debut as a late substitute. His first full game for Blackpool was in December. In January 2010, his loan was extended. He scored his first goal for Blackpool with a great shot from 30 yards away. Barry helped Blackpool win the Championship play-off final at Wembley. This meant Blackpool was promoted to the Premier League.
In March 2011, Barry joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the season. He played seven games for Leeds before being called back by Aston Villa in April 2011.
Later Years at Villa
Barry returned to Aston Villa for the 2010–11 season. He made his Premier League debut on the first day of the season. He scored his first goal for Villa in a Europa League qualifier.
In September 2011, Barry scored his first Premier League goal for Villa from a penalty kick. Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, he didn't play as much for Aston Villa. It looked like he might move to another club.
Moving to Crystal Palace
On 2 September 2013, Barry signed a three-year contract with Crystal Palace. He joined them for an undisclosed fee. He was signed by manager Ian Holloway, who he had worked with at Blackpool. Barry scored his first goal for Palace in the Premier League on 23 November. It was the only goal in a 1–0 win against Hull City.
In February 2015, Barry joined Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season. He played sixteen games for Bolton.
Joining Sheffield Wednesday
On 31 August 2015, Barry signed a one-year deal with Sheffield Wednesday. He made his debut for the Owls on 12 September. He scored his first goal for Wednesday on 12 December 2015, helping them to a 2–2 draw.
In January, he scored a fantastic goal from 25 yards in an FA Cup match. Five days later, he signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with the club. In April, he was named in the Championship's PFA Team of the Year, which is a big honour.
At the start of the 2020–21 season, Barry became the captain of Sheffield Wednesday. In February 2021, he agreed to a new contract until the summer of 2023. He was voted the club's Player of the Season for 2020–21, playing in every game that season.
In the 2021–22 season, Barry was nominated for the EFL League One Player of the Month award in February. He either scored or assisted a goal in five of Wednesday's six games. In March, he scored three more goals and made two more assists, winning the League One Player of the Month award. He was also nominated for the Sky Bet League One Player of the Season. He was included in the Team of the Season and won the EFL Goal of the Season for his amazing strike against MK Dons. He won the club's Player of the Season award again, with 9 goals and 12 assists in 49 games.
In the 2022–23 season, he continued to play well, winning the club's player of the month in October. His contract was extended for another season in March 2023. He was nominated for EFL League One Player of the Season for the second year in a row and was again named in the EFL Team of the Season.
For the 2023–24 season, he won the Wise Old Owl Award for the second time. On 21 April 2024, he played his 400th game for Sheffield Wednesday. In May 2024, he signed a new contract with the club.
In the 2024–25 season, he was nominated for the Championship player of the month in September. He scored two goals and made a vital assist, reaching 100 goal contributions for the club. His goal against QPR was also nominated for the Championship goal of the month. In December, he moved into the club's top 10 all-time appearance makers.
Playing for Scotland
Barry Bannan played for the Scotland under-21 team. He made his debut in March 2009 in a 1–0 win against Albania. In November 2009, he helped the under-21s beat Azerbaijan 4–0. Barry scored his first goal for the under-21s in a win against Austria, which helped them qualify for the play-offs.
He also played one game for the Scotland B team in May 2009. In November 2010, Barry was called up to the senior Scotland squad for the first time.
Barry made his debut for the Scotland national team on 16 November 2010 against the Faroe Islands. His performance was so good that the manager, Craig Levein, called him a future star of Scottish football.
In March 2011, Barry was called up to play against Brazil. In September 2011, he made his first competitive start for Scotland in a Euro 2012 qualifier. He was named man-of-the-match and received a standing ovation from the crowd after setting up the winning goal.
How He Plays
Barry Bannan mainly plays as a central midfielder. He can also play as a winger. He is especially good with his left foot.
Former Aston Villa manager Gérard Houllier compared Barry to famous Barcelona midfielders like Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Houllier said Barry is an "intelligent player" who can "read the game well." He noted that Xavi and Iniesta are not huge players, but they are smart and skilled, just like Barry.
Ian Holloway, who coached Barry at Blackpool, called him a "beautiful footballer." Scotland teammate Darren Fletcher also compared Barry to Xavi, Iniesta, and Paul Scholes. Fletcher said Barry "is in the mould of the best midfielders in the world."
Houllier also defended Barry's height, saying it wouldn't stop him from being a great player. He explained that while the Premier League is physical, commitment and skill are more important than just size. However, Barry himself said that a former Aston Villa boss, Martin O'Neill, had doubts about his ability because of his size.
About His Life
Barry Bannan was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. His parents are James and Kathleen Bannan. When he was a young child, Barry had to have four operations. The first was for a hernia. Two more were for a blocked tube to his kidney. The fourth operation was to remove his appendix.
Barry supports his former team, Celtic. His childhood hero was midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, who he later played alongside at Aston Villa.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 2008–09 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 64 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 83 | 2 | ||
| Derby County (loan) | 2008–09 | Championship | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2009–10 | Championship | 20 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Leeds United (loan) | 2010–11 | Championship | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 2013–14 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2015–16 | Championship | 35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 3 |
| 2016–17 | Championship | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | Championship | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 41 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 45 | 5 | ||
| 2019–20 | Championship | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Championship | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 49 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | League One | 45 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 9 | |
| 2022–23 | League One | 41 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 7 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 45 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| Total | 393 | 33 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 433 | 35 | ||
| Career total | 532 | 37 | 24 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 597 | 40 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 2010 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 0 | |
Awards and Honours
Blackpool
- Football League Championship play-offs: 2010 (promoted to Premier League)
Sheffield Wednesday
- EFL League One play-offs: 2023 (promoted to Championship)
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2015–16 Championship, 2021–22 League One, 2022–23 League One
- Sheffield Wednesday Player of the Year: 2020–21
- SWFC Community Player of the Year: 2020–21
- EFL League One Player of the Month: March 2022
- EFL Goal of the Season: 2021–22
- EFL League One Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Barry Bannan para niños
