If you are looking forward to a player, who has the leadership qualities to hold his side together and the skills for giving stability to the midfield, then there can be very few men, who can match Gareth Barry. Ever since he came to the international platform, there has been no turning back for this English player. Initially, he was a wonderful servant to the Aston Villa side. However, he took a decision to move to the Eastlands (Manchester City) in Summer Transfer Season of 2009, as he believed that there were better prospects of him winning a major trophy with the cash-rich side.

Even though he may not be as quick as Cole, Lampard and Gerard, Gareth Barry plays wonderfully well within his limitation. This is one of the reasons why he was able to make a journey from Aston Villa and broke into a side, which was dominated by men from Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal. Today, he plays a major role in the plans of English Coach, Fabio Capello.

Born on February 23, 1981 in East Sussex, Gareth Barry is a part of the English Side and currently plays for the Manchester City FC.

He was the captain of the England Under-18 side. Barry signed for the Aston Villa side, as a 16-year-old from Brighton in 1997. Even though he was a trainee, he became a reason for controversies, when Brighton demanded a considerable sum for their midfielder. The Football associated came up with a deal, where the club would receive a huge amount in case he was to make appearance for England.

Barry made his debut for Villa on May 2, 1998 against Sheffield Wednesday. He started as a central defender, playing on the left hand side. He partnered Gareth Southgate. However, his versatility increased and he made a journey from centre-back, left-back and left-midfield to the centre in midfield. He was the only player alongside Gareth Southgate to participate in the last international and FA Cup Match at the Old Wembley Stadium. Both the matches ended up in a 1-0 loss to the team, which he represented. The FA Cup Final was against Chelsea, whereas the World Cup 2002 Qualifier match was against the German National Side.

April 2005 saw Barry getting involved (to intervene) in a controversial incident when couple of Newcastle United Players, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer, brawled with each other during a game. It was only in 2007, that Aston Villa was ready to award him with a testimonial, when he was only 26. This testimonial was to recognize a decade of magnificent achievement at the club. Again, he was instrumental in bringing Aston Villa out from the run of bad luck with a game where he scored two goals and assists in a 4-0 victory over Wanderers in April 2008. In the same season, Barry created a record of being the quickest player to each 300 BPL games at only 26 years of age.

Before making a move to the Eastlands in June 2009, he was also approached by the Reds in 2008. However, the deal was not successful, as Liverpool was unable to match the requirements of the club.

He did start his international career in 2000 only, but became a regular member of the English side, once they saw consistency in the injury of Carrick and Hargreaves. Very soon, under Fabio Capello, he was given the role to hold the midfield together and he has not disappointed his side. With the World Cup getting closer, he was prepared to face the challenge against US in their first game on June 12, 2010. However, he is injured now and he is sure to miss out on the team’s opener in South Africa.

During 2007 Summer, Barry married Louise, his sweetheart from the childhood days. Today, he has two children with Louise: a son, Oscar, and daughter, Freya.

Whether it’s the national side or Manchester City, Barry plays an instrumental role in the success of his side. And if he does make a return to the side during the business end of World Cup 2010, things will only get better for his country.