BARRY: CITY CAREER IN FOCUS

Gareth Barry spent several years in the Brighton and Hove Albion Academy before he left to join Aston Villa in 1997. One year later, he made his professional bow at Villa and he was at the club until Manchester City paid around £12m to secure his signing in the summer of 2009. Gareth Barry put pen to paper on a five-year deal at City.

A lot of Aston Villa fans were on Gareth Barry’s back following his move to City. His desire to play Champions League football played a huge part in his transfer to the Etihad Stadium. In response to the aggrieved Villa fans, Gareth Barry appealed to them in a letter to the Birmingham Mail as he thanked them for the support given to him as a Villa player. He went on to say that the move to Manchester City was for a fresh challenge.

Gareth Barry made his City debut during the 2-0 win over home team Blackburn Rovers as he was on for the entire duration of the game. His first City goal came in the Manchester Derby clash with hosts Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 20, 2009. Barry scored the first City goal to level the scores at 1-1, but in the end his team lost courtesy the stoppage time winner from Michael Owen. Owen scored in second half added time to give Manchester United a 4-3 victory. He scored again for City three days later in the League Cup clash with Fulham to tie the scores at 1-1 before his team went on to win the game in extra time.
In his second season at City, Barry won his first major trophy as a player as part of the winning team in the 2011 FA Cup final. He started the final which ended in a 1-0 victory over Stoke City. Gareth Barry spent five years at Manchester City before he left to play for Everton.