da wazamba： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da marjack bet： Former City star Shaun Wright-Phillips has stated that Gareth Barry was the most underrated player he played with during his career.
What did he say?
Wright-Philipps played for City both pre and post-takeover from Sheikh Mansour. This means the Englishman played with players like Joey Barton only to then share the pitch with the likes of Vincent Kompany.
The 37-year-old also stepped out with some illustrious names at Chelsea, such as Arjen Robben and Joe Cole. However, when asked in his ‘ask me anything’ on Reddit.com, the former England international stated that Barry is the most underappreciated player he shared a pitch with.
When asked who is the most underrated player he played with, Wright-Phillips said: “I’d have to say Gareth Barry. I didn’t think he was as valuable before he signed for City. I never actually really got to see the key things he had done before that. But when we played together, the fact that he was always available, and what he did for the team, I think he should have gotten a lot more credit. He was a very versatile player.”
A legend at Villa, a winner at City
Barry moved to City from Aston Villa in 2009 and would go onto make 175 appearances for the Citizens.
The Englishman currently holds the record for the most Premier League outings of all time, surpassing Ryan Giggs total to make 653 appearances in the top-flight. As a result, the experienced midfielder has no doubt gone down as one of the Premier League greats, even if he was seriously underappreciated at City.
In a time when the club boasted players like Sergio Aguero and David Silva, Barry was a solid defensive unit for their first-ever Premier League title win. Barry played 34 times as City pipped United to the league trophy on the final day, although most will remember the season for Aguero and Silva’s brilliance.
In fact, the former England international’s dirty work and distribution allowed the likes of Silva to flourish. City fans should always remember him as a great during their early success.