GARETH BARRY has retired from professional football, aged 39.
The ex-England ace has decided to hang up his boots after making a record 653 Premier League appearances.
Gareth Barry helped West Brom win promotion to the Premier League during his final season Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Barry scored 53 goals and made 64 assists during his career in the English top-flight.
The veteran midfielder also made 53 caps for England between 2000-2012.
He started his career with Aston Villa before completing a £12million switch to Manchester City in 2012.
Barry made 175 appearances for City across four seasons, scoring eight goals and making 18 assists.
He also helped guide the Blues to the Premier League title and the FA Cup.
After an impressive loan spell with Everton, he joined the permanently in 2014.
The Toffees paid tribute to Barry after his decision to retire was announced.
Alongside a compilation video of his best bits, it read: “All the best in retirement, Gareth Barry!
Gareth Barry joined Everton permanently after a season-long loanCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Gareth Barry’s Premier League stats
It’s fair to say he deserves to put his feet up…
- Appearances: 653
- Goals: 53
- Assists: 64
- Wins: 262
- Losses: 198
- Goals per match: 0/08
- Passes: 20,616
- Passes per match: 31.57
- Yellow cards: 123
- Red cards: 6
- Fouls: 633
- Tackles: 1,028
“Congratulations on a magnificent career and thank you for your time with the Toffees.”
After three seasons at Goodison Park, he made the move to West Brom in 2017.
He finished his career on a high as he made six appearances for the Baggies in their promotion-winning campaign.
Manchester city forked out £12million to sign Gareth Barry Credit: Action Images – Reuters
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk