632 INCREDIBLE, PHENOMENAL, INSPIRATIONAL GARETH BARRY

Petrov tips Baggies’ ageless midfielder to play on until he’s 40 as he draws level with Giggs in Prem appearances

GARETH BARRY can play until he is 40, according to his pal Stiliyan Petrov.

West Brom’s former England star is 36 and in line to make his 632nd Premier League appearance today at home to West Ham.

Barry, signed from Everton in August, will move level with Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs at the top of the appearance stats.

And his former Aston Villa team-mate and friend Petrov, 38, reckons Barry will soon be in a class of his own after making his debut in 1998.

The Bulgarian, who also played in midfield, told Mirror Sport: “Gareth can be very proud. If he keeps going that will be a great achievement, but what he has achieved so far is incredible. It is phenomenal.

“Records are there to be broken, but it won’t be for some time. He will hold that record for a while and it can’t be taken away from him. I don’t think people realise what he is going to achieve.

“He is showing age doesn’t matter, it is about ability and what he can do on the pitch. He is still doing it since day one when he became a professional.

“He has awareness, positioning, ability to read the game and is always involved in a game. That gives him a chance to go even longer. I would love to see Gareth go for another three or four years at a very high level.

“Not many players can play 30 games a season, but he has been doing that for nearly 20 years at a high level with good performances. His consistency is very good.”

Barry’s class saw him win 53 England caps from 2000-2012.

He also won the Premier League and FA Cup with Manchester City. And he has scored 52 goals with 63 top-flight assists.

He has already been described as Albion’s best player so far this season by his boss Tony Pulis.

Petrov added:

“When somebody achieves something like this it is with a lot of hard work, a great attitude and professionalism. Every single club he has played for he was well-known as one of the best and most consistent players.

“He was the man who led the team quietly as a great player who can deal with pressure. Achieving this record in modern football is rare.

“In the last 10-15 years players have been overloaded and games have more intensity. But he hasn’t missed many games for Villa, Man City, Everton and now West Brom.

Players like him can teach kids these days a lot of things too – how to be professional and how to play football in the right manner.

“Gareth has always been wanted by managers because he does his job properly.” Petrov (above with Barry at Villa) might still be playing himself, but he was forced to retire in 2013 after being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2012.

But the former midfielder thankfully beat the disease and says Barry was a huge help.

Petrov added: “As a friend he is everything you can want.

“He is trustworthy, which is what you want in a friendship, he helps and gives you loyalty.

“I have a lot of time for Gareth as a player and a friend.

“You don’t find friends like that all the time and to have friends like that means an awful lot to me.”