PLAYER PROFILE

Gareth Barry

Position: Midfield

Height: 6'0

Weight: 12st 6lbs

Date of Birth: 1981-02-23 Hastings, England

Gareth Barry

Gareth Barry started life as a Villa YTS trainee playing in midfield but actually made his debut in the first team on the left hand side of defence. Barry turned professional shortly after his 17th birthday.

His Aston Villa debut came on as a sub against Sheffield Wednesday in the penultimate game of the 1997/98 season. Still only 17, he followed this up with a full debut against double winners Arsenal, and played well in Villa's 1-0 win.

Villa's farcical affair with David Unsworth in the summer of '98, gave Barry the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular first team place. He did not waste this chance and only an injury and a change of system mid-way through the 98/99 season stopped him from increasing his 27 appearances for the club.

His first senior goal came against Nottingham Forest, and on his 18th birthday Villa gave him a five-year contract.

He made his full England debut in May 2000 against Ukraine, and looked the most likely player to claim the troublesome left-back slot, following impressive performances in his next five international games. However, the departure of Kevin Keegan as England coach saw Barry's international involvement suddenly come to an end, with Ashley Cole favoured by Sven Goran Eriksson. Barry returned to the England Under 21 side.

2001/02 was a mixed season all round for the young defender, who also found himself frozen out of the Villa side by John Gregory. However, when Graham Taylor took control, Barry was restored to the first team, usually in midfield.

His switch from defence to midfield clearly unlocked something inside Barry. On the left side of midfield he flourished and went on to have a fantastic 2002/03 season under Graham Taylor, making over 40 appearances and scoring four goals, three of which came in three consecutive games.

The only downside to the season was that he was continually overlooked by England's head coach Sven Goran Eriksson. Though he made a brief appearance in England's friendly with Serbia and Montenegro in May 2003, he was relegated back to the Under-21 side for the comptetitive matches.

2003/04 was another successful season at club level for Barry, perhaps even more so as it was also reflected in Villa's performance. He again scored four goals, one coming in an eventful opening game that also saw him sent off. However, despite all of this, he was still overlooked by England.

The first half of Barry's 2004/05 season was something of a disappointment as the defender struggled to hit peak form. Even his manager came out to criticise him, trying to motivate him to success. However, a knee injury which saw him out through much of October and November, hindered his progress.

By February, however, he was back at his best as he knocked in four goals towards the end of the season.

This form continued into the 2005/06 season, where he was one of Villa's most consistant performers, scoring six goals in his 42 games. These statistics changed to nine goals in 39 games in 06/07, and he is now regarded as one of Villa's most important stars.