Gareth Barry facts for kids
Barry with Everton in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gareth Barry | ||
| Date of birth | 23 February 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Hastings, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Hurstpierpoint | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1997 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1997–1998 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2009 | Aston Villa | 365 | (41) |
| 2009–2014 | Manchester City | 132 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | → Everton (loan) | 32 | (3) |
| 2014–2017 | Everton | 99 | (2) |
| 2017–2020 | West Bromwich Albion | 52 | (2) |
| 2024– | Hurstpierpoint | 2 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | England U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | England U18 | 5 | (0) |
| 1998–2003 | England U21 | 27 | (2) |
| 2007 | England B | 1 | (0) |
| 2000–2012 | England | 53 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gareth Barry (born February 23, 1981) is a famous English footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Hurstpierpoint in the Mid Sussex Football League. Gareth Barry holds a special record: he has played in more Premier League games than anyone else! He made 653 appearances for teams like Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton, and West Bromwich Albion. He also played for the England national team.
Barry started his career at Brighton & Hove Albion as a young player. He then moved to Aston Villa and stayed there for 12 years. He even became the captain of Aston Villa. He is eighth on their list of players with the most appearances, playing 441 games in total. In June 2009, he joined Manchester City. There, he won the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League title in 2012. After playing for Everton on loan, he joined them permanently in 2014. Later, he moved to West Bromwich Albion and played there until he retired from professional football in 2020.
Gareth Barry also played for England. He first played for the senior team in 2000. He was even the captain in a friendly game in 2010. He played 53 games for England and scored three goals. He was part of England's squads for UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Aston Villa
Gareth Barry joined Aston Villa as a young trainee in 1997. He played his first senior game for Villa on May 2, 1998. He scored his first professional goal on April 24, 1999, helping Villa win 2–0 against Nottingham Forest. In 2000, he played in the 2000 FA Cup Final at the old Wembley Stadium, but Villa lost to Chelsea. In 2001, he helped Villa win the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
By November 2007, Barry had been at Aston Villa for 10 years. On April 5, 2008, he scored two goals and helped with two assists in a 4–0 win against Bolton Wanderers. By April 2008, Barry was the player who had been at Aston Villa the longest. On October 28, 2007, he became the youngest player to reach 300 Premier League games. He was 26 years and 247 days old.
In May 2008, Liverpool tried to buy Barry, but Aston Villa said no. Barry wanted to join Liverpool to play in the UEFA Champions League. He was disciplined by Aston Villa for talking about it publicly. He lost his captaincy for a while but got it back in January 2009. He scored his first European goal since 2000 in a UEFA Cup game against Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar. He played his 400th game for Villa in September 2008. In total, he played 441 games for Aston Villa and scored 52 goals.
Time at Manchester City
On June 2, 2009, Barry signed a five-year contract with Manchester City. He moved for £12 million. Many Aston Villa fans were upset because he had wanted to play in the Champions League, and City wasn't in it yet. Barry thanked Villa fans in a letter, saying he wanted a "new challenge." He played his first game for City on the opening day of the season, a 2–0 win against Blackburn Rovers.
Barry scored his first Premier League goal for City against Manchester United on September 20, 2009. He scored a header in a League Cup game against Fulham three days later. On February 16, 2010, he scored a late goal in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City. Barry played in the 2011 FA Cup Final, which City won 1–0 against Stoke.
In the 2011–12 season, Barry scored his first goal on August 21 in a 3–2 win against Bolton Wanderers. He was sent off for the first time with Manchester City on January 3, 2012, in a 3–0 win against Liverpool. Barry played in 34 Premier League games that season. Manchester City won the league title, their first in 44 years!
Playing for Everton
On September 2, 2013, Barry joined Everton on a loan deal for the season. He played his first game for Everton on September 15, a 1–0 win against Chelsea. He was named man of the match in that game. Later that month, Barry became the 10th player in Premier League history to play 500 career games. This happened in a 3–2 win over Newcastle United. He scored his first goal for Everton on October 19 in a 2–1 win against Hull City.
Barry became a very important player in Everton's midfield. He helped the club get a record 72 Premier League points, finishing fifth. On July 8, 2014, Barry joined Everton permanently after his contract with Manchester City ended. He signed a three-year deal. On December 26, he became the first player to get 100 yellow cards in the Premier League. On February 11, 2015, he was sent off against Chelsea.
On October 24, 2015, Barry was sent off again in a 2–1 loss to Arsenal. After Everton's 2–1 win over Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final on January 6, 2016, his manager, Roberto Martínez, called him "one of the best English players ever." On March 12, 2016, in an FA Cup quarter-final win against Chelsea, Barry was booked after a clash with Diego Costa. Facing Sunderland in May 2016, he set a new record by starting a Premier League game for the 572nd time.
On September 17, 2016, Barry became the third player (after Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard) to play 600 Premier League games. This happened in a 3–1 win against Middlesbrough, where he also scored a goal.
Moving to West Bromwich Albion
On August 15, 2017, Barry signed with West Bromwich Albion. He made his debut for them four days later in a 1–0 win against Burnley. His manager, Tony Pulis, said he was "absolutely fantastic." On September 25, Barry captained West Brom and played his 633rd Premier League game. This broke Ryan Giggs' record of 632 appearances. At that time, Barry was eighth in English top-flight appearances since World War II.
After an injury, Barry left West Brom in July 2019. He later re-signed with them on November 4, 2019, until the end of the 2019–20 season.
Retirement and Amateur Football
Gareth Barry announced he was retiring from professional football on August 27, 2020. After retiring, he continued to play for a veterans' team called Comberton Dynamoes Veterans.
In July 2024, Barry joined Hurstpierpoint, an amateur village team. They play in the Mid Sussex Football League Championship, which is the 12th level of English football. Barry played his first game for Hurstpierpoint on February 8, 2025. He scored his first goal for the club on March 1, 2025, in a 2–2 draw against Polegate Town.
International Career
Gareth Barry first played for England at the under-16 level, and then for the under-18s. He made his England under-21 debut in 1998. He played 27 games for the under-21 team between 1998 and 2003, which was a record at the time.
Barry was first chosen for the senior England team by Kevin Keegan. He went to UEFA Euro 2000 after another player got injured, but he didn't play in any games. He made his England debut as a substitute on May 31, 2000, in a friendly game against Ukraine. His first start for England was on September 2, 2000, against France.
After a break from the national team, Barry was called back to the England squad on February 2, 2007. This was by the new manager, Steve McClaren. He played as a substitute in a friendly game against Spain. In August 2007, Barry became one of the few players to play for England at both the old and new Wembley Stadiums.
Barry started in midfield for England against Israel on September 8, 2007. He helped with two assists in that game. He also played well against Russia a few days later. He was named man of the match for England's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia. He scored his first international goal against Trinidad and Tobago on June 1, 2008. He also captained England in the second half of that game.
On June 6, 2009, he scored his second international goal against Kazakhstan. Playing for England in a friendly against Egypt at Wembley, Barry was given the captain's armband in a 3–1 win. He was included in England's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He missed the first game but played in the other three, including the 4–1 loss to Germany.
On February 9, 2011, he was again made captain for the last 10 minutes of a game against Denmark. On March 29, 2011, Barry captained England in a friendly match against Ghana at Wembley, which ended in a 1–1 draw. On November 12, 2011, he played his 50th game for England in a 1–0 win over Spain.
On November 15, 2011, Barry scored England's 2,000th international goal in a 1–0 friendly win against Sweden. Barry was chosen for the England squad for UEFA Euro 2012. However, he had to miss the tournament because of a groin injury.
Personal Life
Gareth Barry married his childhood sweetheart, Louise, in 2007. He is best friends with Michael Standing, who also signed for Aston Villa on the same day as him in 1997. Barry's nephew, Bradley Barry, is also a professional footballer. Since 2019, Barry has played cricket for Temple Grafton Cricket Club.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1997–98 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 1 | |||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 36 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 4 | |||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 34 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 8 | |||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 36 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 42 | 6 | |||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 39 | 9 | |||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 9 | |||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | — | 48 | 8 | ||
| Total | 365 | 41 | 21 | 3 | 29 | 4 | 26 | 4 | — | 441 | 52 | |||
| Manchester City | 2009–10 | Premier League | 34 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 33 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 47 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 31 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| Total | 132 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 175 | 8 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2013–14 | Premier League | 32 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 3 | ||
| Everton | 2014–15 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 131 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 155 | 5 | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | 2017–18 | Premier League | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Total | 52 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 61 | 2 | |||
| Hurstpierpoint | 2024–25 | Mid Sussex League Championship | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 682 | 55 | 51 | 4 | 46 | 5 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 834 | 68 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 3 | |
England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Barry goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 June 2008 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago |
|
|
Friendly |
| 2. | 6 June 2009 | Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan |  Kazakhstan |
|
|
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 15 November 2011 | Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom |  Sweden |
|
|
Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Aston Villa
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2011–12
- FA Cup: 2010–11; runner-up 2012–13
Individual Awards
- Everton Player of the Season: 2015–16
- Everton Players' Player of the Season: 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Gareth Barry para niños
