Undervalued Gareth Barry deserving of place in the record books

Longevity is difficult in a young mans game, and even more so in a league so intense as England’s top-flight. Therefore, when Gareth Barry marked his 600th Premier League appearance with a goal against Middlesbrough it was just reward for a player that has been a superb servant for club and country throughout his career.

In reaching that milestone the 35-year old joined Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard in an illustrious club but in truth the midfielder will never be considered in the same category. Seen as Mr Dependable wherever he has been, Barry’s talent and more pertinently his understanding of the game is greatly undervalued.

It’s difficult to think of a player that has managed his career so well. Emerging in the first team at Villa on the left of a back three, Barry would move to left-back, where he was first selected for England, becoming a key player for the Midlands club, and captain, at a young age.

Graham Taylor’s return to Villa Park was ill-fated but if the maligned former Three Lions boss did get one thing right, it was to notice that Barry’s ability on the ball would be better utilised in a more advanced position. A move to left-midfield followed before Martin O’Neill came to the conclusion that his skipper’s intelligence both in and out of possession made him ideal to control Villa’s tempo from the heart of the midfield. It was a move that would reignite an international career that had to take off, somewhat unfairly, and one that the player still thanks the Ulsterman for, despite their relationship having been fractious prior the Barry’s departure.

Where his game has developed, in part due to the role he was asked to play at Manchester City as well as age, Barry’s ability to have a say in the final third has been all but forgotten. Indeed, while penalty duties boosted his tally at Villa, the captain would notch 32 league goals in his last 5 seasons at the club. Excellent over a set piece, with a superb left foot and an ability to hold off opponents in possession, Barry has not always been so defensive minded, which is often overlooked.

The criticism so often targeted at the midfielder throughout his career has been a lack of pace, but he has more than made up for it with his speed of thought. While he is harshly remembered for a disappointing showing at the 2010 World Cup, most notably as England exited the competition against Germany, Barry had become one of the Three Lions’ most integral players in the years building up to the tournament. Out of the international reckoning for four years during Sven Goran Eriksson’s reign, Barry would build a strong relationship with Steven Gerrard on and off the field in the middle of the park where others, Lampard included, had failed.

Gerrard, and the strength of their partnership for England, would become a key factor in Liverpool’s pursuit of Barry in 2008, with the Liverpool skipper going as far as saying he was ‘desperate’ for the Villa man to join him at Anfield. Barry was very keen on a move, citing a desire to play Champions League football, and became frustrated that a number of bids were rejected. He would fall out with Villa boss O’Neill and was stripped of the captaincy but, ever the professional, Barry still played every single league game for Villa the following season, regaining the armband in the absence of Martin Laursen.

A subsequent move to Manchester City irked the fans, who criticised him due to the fact that the club weren't in the Champions League at the time having stated his desire to leave based on that amibition. It was a move, however, thhat Barry was ultimately more than justified in taking.

His ability to stay injury free has been crucial to what is a remarkable achievement, only once in the last 18 Premier League seasons failing to make 30 appearances. It may be surprising to some given the transfer policy of the club during his time in Eastlands, but Barry would start more games than any other Manchester City player (123) in the four years he spent there.

He was a vital member of a side that would go on to win the 2011/12 title - a feat he unsurprisingly ranks as the greatest in his career - starting 31 matches, securing a rating of 7.23 from WhoScored.com to rank sixth of City players to start at least twenty games. Indeed, it was in Manchester that he was moulded into the player that he is today, producing the most tackles for the Citizens in that title winning campaign. He was the reliable shield to the back four, capable of doing the dirty work that would allow the likes of Silva, Aguero and Toure - the club’s three highest rated players that season - to thrive.

He has a similar role in this current Everton side, though it is arguably one of even greater importance. Given the way his time on Merseyside ended and the fact that his reputation took a significant hit as a result, quotes from Roberto Martinez are taken with a pinch of salt right now, but the Spaniard’s admiration of the midfielder was abundantly clear. The former Toffees boss was widely ridiculed when stating, “For me he is one of the best English players ever,” but in reference to the Premier League era, Barry is a player that certainly deserves far more recognition.

In a recent interview with the BBC, the midfielder stated that he felt better on the eve of his 600th appearance then he did his 500th and it’s true that his standards have shown no sign of slipping, particularly since the arrival of Ronald Koeman. Some might have felt that the Dutchman would begin to ostracise the ageing middle man but far from it, and it’s the esteem in which he has been held by all of his managers that speaks as much about his ability as his professionalism. He’s learnt his trade in a number of different positions and contrasting philosophies, making a move into management or coaching for a player that has always had a keen thirst for footballing knowledge seem a no brainer.

For the time being, however, Gareth Barry is still very much an Everton player, and a pivotal one at that. After two seasons without a goal Saturday’s was his second in 5 matches this season, and alongside the industrious Idrissa Gueye, the veteran is getting the support that he lacked in the middle of the park last season. The Senegal international's role in elongating an already lengthy career could be vital, with Koeman stating, "If the team is compact and he [Barry] doesn’t need to run too much between the lines then he can play two more years at this level no problem."

At present his average passes per game for the Toffees sits at 64.6 and has never dropped below sixty in his time at the club, and while 3.8 tackles per game may be unsustainable for a player at this stage of his career, it’s his highest ever figure. His WhoScored.com rating of 7.56 is also at its peak in his career.

A player who will forever be under appreciated, Barry will surely - fitness permitting - write himself into the Premier League record books. Ryan Giggs’ tally of 632 top-flight appearances is well within the Everton man’s sights. He could technically break it this season but will almost certainly do so next. After all, Barry’s importance to his side is far greater than the United man, or Lampard, at 35 and for that reason he deserves an immense amount of credit.

Will Gareth Barry break Giggs' Premier League appearance record? Let us know in the comments below