Fabio Capello and Ronald Koeman loved Everton transfer who was forced to apologise after taxi prank
"I have never seen a player with the incredible professionalism, standards and so level-headed as Gareth Barry. For me, he is one of the best English players ever."
It's fair to say Roberto Martinez was a big Gareth Barry fan.
When the veteran first arrived at Everton in the summer of 2013 on loan from Manchester City, there wasn't too much fanfare.
The midfielder was decorated for sure, having helped City win the Premier League and the FA Cup in 2012 and 2011 respectively. Yet there was a sense that this stalwart of English football's top flight was beginning to wind down after excellent spells at the Etihad Stadium and Villa Park.
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Barry always carried a reputation of being overrated too, a perception hammered home by some media criticism after high-profile England losses. He will always be remembered to some degree for being outran by Mesut Ozil as Germany trounced the Three Lions 4-1 at the 2010 World Cup.
"Barry always played with me," legendary manager Fabio Capello said in 2012 when he was England boss. "After Owen Hargreaves it was Gareth Barry. He is one of the important players, really important."
Even so, Everton fans were initially lukewarm about his arrival a year later. That quickly changed.
On his debut for the Blues, Barry made an incredible last-ditch tackle to stop Samuel Eto'o netting a certain goal for Chelsea at Goodison Park. Everton went on to win 1-0 - Martinez's first victory in charge - and the performance provided a springboard for a remarkable season, in which the Blues earned a Premier-League-high 72 points.
Barr
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