# Gareth Barry
**Gareth Barry** (born 1981, Hastings) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and held the record for the most appearances in the Premier League, with 653 for Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton, and West Bromwich Albion across a 22-year career.[1](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry) He won 53 caps for England between 2000 and 2012 and retired from playing in August 2020 at the age of 39.[1](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, Hastings, England[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) |
| Premier League record | 653 appearances, the all-time record from 2017 until James Milner passed it with his 654th game in February 2026[1](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry) • [3](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4562466/milner-edges-closer-to-barrys-all-time-premier-league-record) |
| Clubs | Aston Villa (first 12 years), Manchester City (2009, £12m), Everton (2013), West Bromwich Albion (2017)[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) |
| Honors | FA Cup 2011 and Premier League 2012 with Manchester City[5](https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/gareth-barry-retires-63734127) |
| England | 53 caps, 3 goals, 1 captaincy; debut v Ukraine, 31 May 2000, aged 19 years 98 days; FA Legacy Number 1100[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) |
| Career totals | 833 senior club games and 67 goals over 23 years; final game March 2020[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) |
| Retirement | Announced 27 August 2020[6](https://www.wba.co.uk/news/gareth-barry-retires) |
## Club career
**Aston Villa.** Barry made his Villa debut at 17 and spent 11 years in the Midlands, the first 11 years of his professional career with the club.[1](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) He began as a defender, playing on the left side of a back three, and his versatility there carried into his later career, where he was used across midfield and defense.[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100)
**Manchester City.** In the summer of 2009 Barry joined City from Aston Villa for £12 million, the first signing of the club's post-takeover spending spree, which took City's outlay over the following year past £200 million.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) • [7](https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/bitstream/123456789/24723/13/Sampson_M_PhD_010217.pdf) He played 175 times for City, scoring eight goals, and won the 2011 [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) and the 2012 Premier League title.[5](https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/gareth-barry-retires-63734127) City describe him as a reliable, composed, and tactically astute midfielder with a knack for sniffing out danger, and one of the unsung heroes of the title-winning side.[1](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry)
**Everton and West Bromwich Albion.** Barry moved to Everton in 2013, initially on loan and then permanently, and was named the club's player of the season for 2015-16.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) West Brom became his fourth and final club in August 2017; he played 25 Premier League games and 27 Championship games for them, and his last match was the 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Newcastle United in March 2020.[6](https://www.wba.co.uk/news/gareth-barry-retires) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39) He announced his retirement on 27 August 2020.[6](https://www.wba.co.uk/news/gareth-barry-retires)
## The appearance record
Barry became the Premier League's all-time leading appearance maker in September 2017, when his 633rd game for West Brom took him past [Ryan Giggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-giggs)'s total of 632.[8](https://as.com/futbol/2017/09/25/internacional/1506366982_432532.html) From 2002 to 2017 he played more than 30 matches in every Premier League season, including three years at Everton, before winding down at West Brom.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/ranked-the-premier-leagues-top-ten-appearance-makers) His record stood for nine years.[9](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/ranked-the-premier-leagues-top-ten-appearance-makers)
In February 2026 [James Milner](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-milner), Barry's former England, Manchester City, and Aston Villa teammate, equalled the mark at 653 and then started for Brighton in a 2-0 win at [Brentford](https://www.edgepedia.org/brentford) to make his 654th appearance and move ahead.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c14r638r163o) • [3](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4562466/milner-edges-closer-to-barrys-all-time-premier-league-record)
## England career
Barry's England career ran from 2000 to 2012, a span of 11 years and 360 days, and produced 53 caps, 3 goals, and one captaincy.[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) [Kevin Keegan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-keegan) gave him his debut against Ukraine in a friendly on 31 May 2000, when he was 19 years and 98 days old, and named him in the Euro 2000 squad, though he did not play at the tournament.[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39)
His first goal came against [Trinidad and Tobago](https://www.edgepedia.org/trinidad-and-tobago) on 1 June 2008, and he captained England for the first time against Ghana on 29 March 2011.[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) [Fabio Capello](https://www.edgepedia.org/fabio-capello) gave him 35 of his 53 caps, more than any other England manager.[2](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100) The 2010 World Cup, where England exited to Germany in the round of 16, was his only major tournament; he was left out of the squads for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and Euro 2004, and later described his international career as stop-start, noting that he had only eight caps by his mid-twenties despite debuting at 19.[11](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/i-am-one-of-many-players-who-will-regret-not-winning-something-gareth-barry-looks-back-on-an-england-career-of-frustration)
## References
1. [Gareth Barry, Manchester City FC](https://www.mancity.com/wnrh/gareth-barry)
2. [Gareth Barry (1100), The England International Database 1872-2026](https://www.englandstats.com/player.php?pid=1100)
3. [Milner breaks Barry's all-time Premier League appearances record, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4562466/milner-edges-closer-to-barrys-all-time-premier-league-record)
4. [Gareth Barry retires from football at 39, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12057643/gareth-barry-retires-from-football-at-39)
5. [Gareth Barry retires from football, Manchester City FC](https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/gareth-barry-retires-63734127)
6. [Gareth Barry retires, West Bromwich Albion FC](https://www.wba.co.uk/news/gareth-barry-retires)
7. [Sampson, M. PhD thesis, Queen Mary University of London](https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/bitstream/123456789/24723/13/Sampson_M_PhD_010217.pdf)
8. [Barry ya es el jugador con más partidos en la Premier: 633, AS](https://as.com/futbol/2017/09/25/internacional/1506366982_432532.html)
9. [RANKED! The Premier League's top ten appearance makers, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/competition/ranked-the-premier-leagues-top-ten-appearance-makers)
10. [James Milner: Who has the most Premier League appearances?, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c14r638r163o)
11. [Gareth Barry looks back on an England career of frustration, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/i-am-one-of-many-players-who-will-regret-not-winning-something-gareth-barry-looks-back-on-an-england-career-of-frustration)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 1990–2004*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license