I made history with Aston Villa before swapping cricket to play non-league football in 12th-tier

Premier League legend Gareth Barry officially returned to football last month, almost five years after announcing his retirement - Mark Wakefield looks into his latest career move

"Barry is a Bluedog!"

Those were the first words of the announcement from Hurstpierpoint FC after they signed Gareth Barry last summer. A club playing in the 12th tier of English football completed the signing of the all-time leading Premier League appearance holder, who featured 653 times in the top flight.

After a playing career that spanned across four decades, Gareth Barry more than earned the right to enjoy his time away from football after dedicating more than 20 years of his life to the beautiful game.

Of those 653 record-breaking Premier League appearances, 365 of them came in an Aston Villa shirt before he swapped Villa Park for Manchester City back in 2009.

It was in August 2020 that Barry announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 39, where he was at West Bromwich Albion at the time. A career which began back in 1998 with Villa, with pit stops at Manchester City and Everton along the way, not to mention 53 caps for England to add to his record.

Four years later, news emerged that Barry was back in football once again. July 2024 saw the former midfielder sign for Hurstpierpoint FC, a village team based in Sussex, approximately 10 miles from Brighton.

"We are beyond delighted to announce that former England international and all-time Premier League record appearance holder, Gareth Barry, has signed for Hurstpierpoint Football Club," the statement from the Mid Sussex Football League club said last year.

"Gareth has a long-standing association with the village through his good friend, and our coach, Michael Standing; so it seemed an obvious move to get him involved with the football club.

"His quality in training has been unreal, so we're all very excited to see him pull on the shirt and grace the Fairfield turf later on this season."

Barry's debut for Hurstpierpoint wouldn't come until February this year, when he featured in a 2-1 against Eastbourne Rangers in the Mid Sussex Football League, a little over two weeks before his 44th birthday. Sam Fernley and substitute Luke MacDonald scored the goals for Hurstpierpoint that day, with Barry's appearance marking the first time he had taken to the pitch for almost five years.

The last time that Barry had played a match came in March 2020, shortly before English football came to a stop due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Barry made six appearances during his final season with West Brom, with his last coming in an FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Newcastle United.

Barry had previously spoken about what could be next for his future in football soon after announcing his retirement. In an interview with The Independent in September 2020, Barry explained that calling time on his football career allowed him to pursue another sporting passion - cricket.

“I loved playing at school,” Barry said. “Twenty odd years of not playing cricket and then I played a couple at the end of last season, but I’ve played 18 games in a row this summer in the local village, to keep that team sort of thing going.

"I’ve been going in to bat fifth. But it’s a long winter without cricket, so I’ll be watching the football!”

Soon came the question most players get asked when their time as a football either comes to an end or is just about to. What about management or coaching? Four-and-a-half years ago, Barry hinted that stepping into the dugout may not be what he wants to do after his playing career.

“It’s a difficult one,” Barry said in the same interview. Because a lot of my team-mates and friends just look at me and think: ‘You’ve got management material.’

“But me personally, inside, I don’t feel that I want to do it. I’m not sure why, but I suppose you’ve got to go with your instincts and – at the minute – that’s not for me.”

It remains to be seen how many more appearances, if any, Barry will make for Hurstpierpoint. The Bluedogs are currently top of the Championship table in the Mid Sussex Football League, with 28 points from their 14 matches this season.

Barry has already made an impact on Hurstpierpoint's season with his performance against Eastbourne last month. The club is in action on Non-League Day on March 22, when they travel to face Lindfield II at Lindfield Common. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.