Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry (born February 23, 1981 in Hastings, England) is an English
footballer and the captain of Aston Villa and is the only player to play in both
final matches at the old Wembley Stadium, once for Aston Villa against Chelsea
and for England against Germany, both resulting in a 1-0 loss.
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.
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."
| Gareth
Barry |
|
Personal information |
| Full name |
Gareth Barry |
| Date of birth |
February 23, 1981 (1981-02-23)
(age 26) |
| Place of birth |
Hastings, England |
| Height |
5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) |
| Playing position |
Defender
Midfielder |
|
Club information |
| Current club |
Aston Villa |
| Number |
6 |
|
Youth clubs |
| 199?-1997 |
Brighton and Hove Albion |
|
Senior clubs1 |
| Years |
Club |
App (Gls)* |
| 1997- |
Aston Villa |
304 (30) |
|
National team2 |
1998-2002
2007
2000- |
England U21
England B
England |
027
0(2)
001 0(0)
009 0(0) |
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 18:09, 11 August 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 18:09, 16 June 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals) |
Gareth Barry is considered as the main man of Aston Villa and has been
nicknamed by die hard fans as the "Beast of Birmingham." Barry is a very
adaptable player capable of playing in both left back and left midfield
positions. Although he is not an orthodox winger, he can deliver deadly pin
point crosses with his left foot from wide positions and often chips in with
goals from open play and set pieces as demonstrated in the 2006-07 Premiership
season.
International career
Barry made his England under-21 début against the Czech Republic in 1998. He
made 27 starts for the Under-21 side, a joint-record until it was eclipsed in
2007 by Scott Carson.
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 début 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 7 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. On May 25, 2007 Barry played for England B in a 3-1 victory over
Albania, getting an assist for England B's first goal scored by Alan Smith.
Honours
Aston Villa:
FA Cup
League Cup
Intertoto Cup
Player Of The Season
Player's Player of the Season
Other:
ESFA Under 16 Cup
- Winners (1997) At William Parker School
References
- ^ Barton wins first England call-up. BBC News Online
(2007-02-02). Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
Wiki Source
