No joy for Barry in record EPL show

LONDON: Gareth Barry made a record 633rd English Premier League appearance but had little to celebrate.

The 36-year-old midfielder captained West Bromwich Albion in a 2-0 loss at Arsenal on Monday as he passed the mark set by former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs.

Barry’s next target is breaking Giggs’ top-flight record of 672 appearances, encompassing matches before the Premier League started in 1992.

Barry made his debut for Aston Villa at the age of 17, appearing as a substitute in a 3-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday in 1998.

Barry played 365 league games for Villa, 132 for Manchester City, and 131 for Everton. He has also played 53 times for England.

England manager Gareth Southgate played alongside Barry at Villa and he led the tributes to his former teammate.

“It’s been a great honour to watch you both winning titles with your club, and go on to over 50 caps with England, playing in the biggest of games,” Southgate said of Barry.

“I think back to watching for the first time as a young kid at Villa and realising straight away that I was in trouble for my place. Thankfully we played three at the back and you were able to play alongside me.

“I wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic achievement. You’ve become a role model on being able to keep playing for so long at such a high level.

“You’re now in the history books and deservedly so. You’ve been undervalued by many for the way that you’ve played.

“Congratulations, enjoy it, and I dare say there’s a few more games in the bag yet.” — Agencies