Gareth Barry
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Position(s) |
Defender Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 28, 2006 | |||
Gareth Barry (born February 23, 1981 in Hastings, England) is an English footballer and the captain of Aston Villa.
Club career
An ex-England under-18 captain, he joined Aston Villa from Brighton and Hove Albion F.C. as a trainee in 1997, and played his first match for Villa on May 2, 1998 against Sheffield Wednesday. Initially he played as a central defender, on the left-hand side of a back three including Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu.
In 2001, Barry was selected to play for Aston Villa against Derby County but refused to play as Aston Villa had refused to pay for his travel expenses when Barry was sent to play for the Villa reserve team away at Newcastle at the last minute. Barry later apologised.[citation needed]
Barry has played more than 300 times for Aston Villa in all competitions. He now regularly plays on the left-hand side of midfield, although he is still classed as a defender by most sources. He is a fan favourite at villa and the fans often chant "Barry for England".
International career
Barry made his England under-21 debut against the Czech Republic in 1998. He made 27 starts for the Under-21 side, a record shared with Jamie Carragher.
After an injury to Jason Wilcox, he was able to travel to Euro 2000, but did not feature in any of the side's games. His full international debut was in the 1-1 draw against France in September 2000.
He made further England appearances in matches against South Africa, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovakia in 2003.
Barry was recalled to the England squad following a four-year international exile on 2nd February 2007. His reward for some impressive performances for Aston Villa this season is a chance to add to his eight caps. Barry was resigned to never winning another cap under previous boss Sven-Göran Eriksson but Steve McClaren brought him back for the first time since March 2003.[1] Barry was brought on at the beginning of the second half of the "England vs Spain" friendly match on 7th February 2007 in replacement of Steven Gerrard and played left midfield for the majority of the game, moving to left back when Stewart Downing was brought on. England lost 1-0 thanks to a second half Andres Iniesta goal.
Trivia
- Barry is married with 2 children
- In his England career, Gareth Barry has played under five different England managers, the latest being Steve McClaren
- He is the only player to play in both of the last two matches played at the Old Wembley Stadium. For Aston Villa in the 2000 FA Cup final (lost 0-1 to Chelsea) and for England against Germany (lost 0-1) during the final game at Wembley.
References
- ^ "Barton wins first England call-up". BBC News Online. 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
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External links
- Gareth Barry at Soccerbase
- Gareth Barry's international Stats at The FA