Jonty Banks

Thu 29 December 2022 20:30, UK

Gareth Barry and his list of Aston Villa accolades are a sight to behold, but his time at the club has always been overshadowed by his contentious transfer to Manchester City in 2009.

A naturally left-footed player, strong, mobile, workmanlike, aggressive and totally committed to the cause, Barry gave his heart and soul to Aston Villa during his 365 appearances for the club.

Barry joined Villa’s ranks at the age of 16 and turned professional under manager John Gregory in February 1998, who quickly saw the talent in the Englishman and awarded him his first-team debut just three months later.

Inserted into a team including the likes of Ian Tylor, Lee Hendrie and Alan Thompson, Barry quickly found his feet, making 32 appearances in his first full season in 1998/99 as a teenager.

And in the following years under Martin O’Neill, Barry contributed to some of the most enjoyable outings fans had witnessed in decades.

Captaining a side including the likes of Ashley Young, James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Olof Mellberg, Barry helped Villa reach three consecutive years of European football.

Although preferring a midfield role alongside Stylian Petrov, he also starred as a full-back, an emergency centre-back and even an out-and-out attacker during his time under O’Neill – and he never failed to deliver the goods.

However, in 2008, the then 27-year-old led a scathing verbal assault on his manager, effectively signing his own Villa Park death warrant.

Speaking out to the national media, the usually-sensible midfielder blasted O’Neill in a no-holds-barred interview that all but declared his intentions to leave the club.

Barry underlined his frustration over Villa’s refusal to negotiate with Liverpool over his transfer and highlighted that he wanted to play Champions League football in the future.

Considering he was the captain of the best Villa side in decades and a side that had finished sixth in consecutive Premier League campaigns, the uncharacteristic outburst did not sit well with Villa fans and still remains a sour topic to this day.

Twelve months later, the England international finally got his wish and completed a £12 million move to Manchester City, and after 11 seasons, 365 appearances and 41 goals, Barry was no longer an Aston Villa player.

It is a shame that one of the game’s genuine nice guys succumbed to such lows to force through his a move from his boyhood club. Even 13 years later, the jury remains out on Gareth Barry.

In other Aston Villa news, These are three potential ways Aston Villa can hurt Tottenham in Premier League clash