Barry still has the fizz
said Barry. “It was lovely to hear from him, passing his Premier League record over.
“But I’m aware he’s collected a few more appearances than the 633. I’m also aware the Premier League started 25 years ago and records existed before that too! I’m not here to say I’m top of the tree in English football history, but I’ll try and get past Ryan’s appearance figures in the Football League.”
The former Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton star has picked up Premier League and FA Cup winners medals and 53 England caps in his 19-year career.
“Ryan didn’t say thanks for the time City beat them 6-1 at Old Trafford. The best players can erase their memories quite quickly,” said Barry with a smile.
“He just said his was a tougher record because he’s done it at a bigger club through his career.
“Fair enough. I’m certainly not going to argue with Ryan about trophies and things like that.”
On Monday Barry will no doubt get a word from Arsene Wenger, who once wanted to sign him.
“That was before I was leaving Villa, and when I was leaving Man City to go to Everton there was a bit of interest too,” said Barry.
“I’ve got massive respect for him and what he’s done for the English game. It would have been good to work under him but it didn’t happen.”
So what advice would he give if he was whispering in the ear of the 17-year-old Gareth Barry? “The pressures on younger players now are greater. You’ve just got to be on your toes all the time with social media and stuff,” he said. “Now you just go to fill your car up and there will be somebody wanting to film you trying to do something silly like that. “If you go into a shopping centre there are phones and cameras everywhere and if you’re doing the wrong thing ultimately you’re going to get found out. “So it’s important you’re living your life right and that’s hard for a young player. “Sometimes you want to experience life but ultimately you have got to make sacrifices and choose the right road.”
I know that Ryan has 40 extra games