Gareth Barry, a professional football player, was born on February 23, 1981 in Hastings, England. He is educated from the William Parker Sports College at his home town.
In 1998, Gareth Barry played against Czech Republic in his first match for England Under-21. Since his entry, he has been a reliable midfielder and had the opportunity for 27 starts for the Under-21 category. On May 31, 2000, he played as a substitute in a friendly match against Ukraine in the pre-Euro 2000. He made his first start for England in its 1-1 draw match against France on September 2, 2000. After playing for England against South Africa, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovakia in 2003, he got the next chance for representing England only in 2007. Steve McClaren, manager of England squad was responsible for bringing Gareth Barry back in the England team.
On February 7, 2007, he played as a substitute for England against Spain; England lost the match 1-0. Later that year, his impressive performance for England B helped the team win 3-1 against Albania. For his outstanding performances as a centre-midfield player, in the matches against Israel and Russia, he won the ‘Man of the Match’. His efforts were recognized and he was also named the ‘Man of the Match’, when England qualified against Estonia in the Euro 2008. On June 1, 2008, Gareth Barry scored his first international goal for England, which won (3-0) against Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly match at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Having played for the Brighton and Hove Albion youth club, Gareth Barry began his career as a trainee of the Aston Villa Club playing in the midfield position in 1997. His first appearance for Aston Villa was when he played as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday in the 1997-1998 season. In the same season, his impressive performance against Arsenal helped his team to win 1-0. He scored his first senior goal for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest, which also got him a five-year deal with the club. During his spell with the club in the 2002-03 season, Gareth Barry played in more than 40 matches scoring four goals, of which three were scored in three consecutive games.
The 2003-2004 season proved be a good one for Gareth Barry, he scored four goals for Aston Villa. His exceptional performance was marked in the 2006-2007 season, when he scored 9 goals and played well in the midfield position. For more than a decade, Gareth Barry has played in 329 matches for Aston Villa and has scored 36 goals for them. Midfielder and also as a good defender, Gareth Barry has proved himself as a consistent player of the team.
Gareth Barry played for Aston Villa when his team became the runners-up in the FA Cup (1999-2000). His brilliant football techniques helped the team win the Intertoto Cup in 2001. Representing Aston Villa, Gareth Barry won the ‘Player of the Season’ in 2006-2007. He also won the ‘Player’s Player of the Season’ for two consecutive seasons, 2006-07 and 2007-08 season.
