Gareth Barry was born on 23rd February 1981 in Hastings. He joined Villa from Brighton as a trainee in 1997 for a mere £50,000. A year later, he signs his first professional contract with Villa on his 17th birthday.
Three months later, Barry made his professional debut for the club in a 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday and made the starting eleven for the first time a week later as Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 at Villa Park. In November 1998, Barry earns his first England under 21 cap in a friendly against the Czech Republic. He would go on to make a further 26 appearances for the side.
Barry scored his first goal for Villa in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in April 1999. In May 2000, he made his senior international debut as England bet the Ukraine 2-0 in a warm up game for the European Championships. He was called into the squad for the finals, but did not play in the tournament.
At the start of the 2006/07 season, Barry was named Villa captain for the opening game at Arsenal and kept the job. A week later, he signed a new contract at Villa. After three years out of the England set up, Barry ended his time in the international wilderness with a call up for the friendly against Spain in February 2007.
October 2007 saw Barry pass Frank Lampard’s record to become the youngest player to reach 300 Premiership appearances. In May 2008, Liverpool failed in an attempt to sign him from Villa. In June, he scored his first international gaol against Trinidad and Tobago and is also named captain in during the second half of that match.
Barry was to have a rough time of it following his return to England. He expressed a desire to join Liverpool and was openly critical of Villa manager Martin O’Neill, who fined him two weeks wages and ordered him not to return to the club for pre-season training. A second Liverpool bid is rejected.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted he was interested in the midfielder before Barry’s agent stated the player would remain at Villa. In his final season, Barry led Villa through the group stages of the UEFA Cup but, along with several other senior members, was left out of the second leg game at CSKA Moscow, which Villa lost.
In June 2009, Barry joined the blues in a £12m deal, becoming Mark Hughes’ first summer transfer.