England boss Gareth Southgate and previous record holder Ryan Giggs pay tribute to Gareth Barry after making his 633rd Premier League appearance
Veteran West Brom defender put himself in the record books after notching his 633rd Premier League appearance in the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Monday. The 36-year-old overtook Manchester United legend Giggs with the feat.
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MANCHESTER UNITED legend Ryan Giggs and England gaffer Gareth Southgate have paid tribute to record breaker Gareth Barry.
The veteran West Brom midfielder earned his 633rd Premier League appearance at Arsenal on Monday night, beating the previous record held by Giggs himself.
It was a night to forget for the Baggies after crashing to a 2-0 defeat but will remain a memorable one for the 36-year-old.
After the match Arsenal presented Barry with a Gunners shirt with the number 633 on the back which was signed by all the members of the team.
And Giggs also had kind words for the former Man City rival.
He said: "Massive congratulations on beating my Premier League appearance record.
"It's a huge feat. I know that you're a professional lad and to play that many games at the top level is a massive achievement.
"Well done mate and hopefully there's many more games to come."
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Barry earned 53 caps for the Three Lions since making his debut in 1998.
England boss Southgate played alongside Barry at Aston Villa and reminisced of their time together.
He said: "I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate you on an incredible achievement.
"If I think back to watching you for the first time as a young kid at Bodymoor Heath and realising straight away that I was in trouble for my place.
"Thankfully you were able to play alongside me and being around when you first joined up with England.
"Goodness me you've gone on to incredible achievements, way beyond what I ever did as a player.
"It's been a great honour to watch you go on to win titles and play in the biggest of games.
"You've become a role model in terms of being able to keep playing for so long at such a high level."