Gareth Barry Quotes

"Confidence and momentum are huge in sport."

"I used to say I preferred midfield because I enjoy trying to make goals, and scoring is a buzz."

"I've got three brothers and two sisters. Dad was a plumber who worked really hard to support six children, and Mum was busy at home. The four brothers shared a room, a bunk bed on each side. It wasn't luxurious."

"Playing until I'm 40 is definitely a possibility."

"I want to come and help the team. That's always been the same for me wherever I have played."

"To play in the Premier League again would be amazing."

"I treat the young boys as I wanted to be treated when I came through at Aston Villa."

"In 2012, we had just won the league with City, and I was really high on confidence going into the Euros when I picked up an injury, which meant I couldn't go."

"I played a lot of games for Villa, and one of my regrets is not winning a trophy there - that still hurts, and that's why the big games are important."

"As a younger player, I never really thought about where I should be on the field. It was just about doing a job."

"I feel very lucky that I'm left-footed because the number of us around is very small."

"At school, I was always a central midfielder from a young age. Then, when I joined Villa at 16, the pre-season didn't go too well, so they looked at me as a centre-half."

"I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing."

"The easy part, for me, is always playing my football."

"As a player, you always want to play - it would be wrong to say otherwise - but you can always understand the manager's reasons if he decides to leave you out."

"The England manager didn't think I was good enough, and as a professional, you have to take it. Sure, it was disappointing, but all you can do is carry on playing well for your club and hope it changes. Unfortunately, it didn't."

"Everton fans don't just come to watch the football. They are there for Everton, the club. They really believe in the history of the club."

"I like going down to London for a couple of days, but it's a place where I'd never fancy living - too busy, too lively, people on top of you."

"It was Martin O'Neill who said, 'You're a central midfielder.' He put faith into players. He was very clever at getting into players' heads, leaving little remarks to make me believe more. The players at Villa all moved up another level under him."

"You do hear a lot about 'player power,' but I'm one of those who believes the manager is there to take control, to be in charge."

"I have played a lot of games, had a good international career, and picked up a lot of caps, but it is not going to be complete without winning trophies, so that is my main goal."

"Having been around, I know how difficult it is to get results in this league. It doesn't just happen by buying players. It needs a lot of hard work."

"Against Chelsea, you will have periods in the game when you are right up against it, when they keep the ball. They are pretty solid the way they set their team up."

"Both Everton and City have fantastic sets of fans who really get behind the players."

"I knew my first game at Everton wasn't going to be a stroll around the pitch."

"Sometimes you're just not in the manager's thoughts."

"In my head, I felt if I'd stayed at City and got a chance, I could have done a good job. It was made clear that wasn't going to happen, though."

"We never seem to make things easy for ourselves at Everton, and at City, it was the same, having to come from behind to get ahead in the big games."

"For me, Goodison is the toughest away ground to come to. I have experienced it."

"Any crowd that gets on your back makes it difficult, but you are going to get that if things aren't going well. The fans have got their right to give their opinion."