 Barkley training withChelsea in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ross Barkley | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-12-05)5 December 1993 (age 32) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Everton | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2018 | Everton | 150 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 13 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | →Leeds United (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Chelsea | 58 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Aston Villa (loan) | 24 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Nice | 27 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Luton Town | 32 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Aston Villa | 29 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | England U16 | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | England U17 | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | England U19 | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | England U20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | England U21 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | England | 33 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:34, 12 February 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ross Barkley (born 5 December 1993) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forPremier League clubAston Villa.
Barkley began his professional career atEverton in 2010. After loan spells atSheffield Wednesday andLeeds United he became a regular in their team, playing 179 total games and scoring 27 goals for Everton. He signed forChelsea in 2018 and won theFA Cup in 2018, theUEFA Europa League in 2019 and theFIFA Club World Cup in 2021.
Barkley made his debut for theEngland national team in 2013. He played for England at the2014 FIFA World Cup and was selected inRoy Hodgson's 23-man squad forUEFA Euro 2016. Having earned 33 caps, Barkley last appeared for England in 2019.
Barkley joinedEverton as an 11-year-old and played for the club's youth teams. He was named as asubstitute in a first team league match in early 2010–11, and was expected to make hisPremier League debut[3] before his leg was broken in one place after a collision withLiverpool'sAndre Wisdom during an England under-19 match in October 2010.[4]
He recovered from his injury in time to join the first team for pre-season training before the beginning of 2011–12. During pre-season,Tim Cahill heralded Barkley as the most talented footballer he had worked with.[5] He made his debut in Everton's first home match of the season, a 1–0 defeat toQueens Park Rangers, and was named man of the match by Radio City Sport.[6] His early performances were highly praised, withMartin Keown predicting that "[Barkley will] be one of the best players we'll ever see in this country."[7] He signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2011.[8]
On 14 September 2012, Barkley joinedSheffield Wednesday on a one-monthloan,[9] making his debut the same day in an away defeat againstBrighton & Hove Albion.[10] He scored his first goal for the club, a penalty, againstBolton Wanderers the following week.[11] His loan was extended before he was recalled by Everton after playing 13 matches for Wednesday.[12][13] He again went out on loan, this time toLeeds United for an "initial one-month stint", in January 2013[14][15] and made his debut for Leeds in a derby match againstBarnsley.[16]
Barkley re-joined the Everton first team for the2013–14 season. He scored his first goal for the club on the opening day in a 2–2 draw againstNorwich City, and was later named man of the match.[17][18] During the first half of the season, Barkley put in several man-of-the-match performances, notably againstArsenal andSwansea City – the latter whom he scored the winner against.[19] He received praise from pundits includingAlan Hansen andGary Lineker who said Barkley was a star in the making and a prodigious talent.[20][21]
Barkley's first FA Cup goal came on 4 January 2014, opening a 4–0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the third round.[22] In March, Barkley scored a superb solo goal againstNewcastle United in which he ran from his own half to net the opener in a 3–0 victory.[23] On 18 April 2014, he was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for thePFA Young Player of the Year award.[24] He scored a total of 6 goals in 34 Premier League matches throughout the season, including a goal againstManchester City on 3 May which BBC Sport described as "spectacular" and was awarded goal of the season at Everton's end of year awards.[25]
On 29 July 2014, Barkley signed a new contract with Everton, keeping him at the club until 2018.[26] Before the start of the 2014–15 season he suffered an injury to hismedial collateral ligament,[27] and did not play until 18 October 2014, setting upRomelu Lukaku's goal in a 3–0 home league win overAston Villa. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers on 15 December.[28]
Barkley started the 2015–16 season with goals in Everton's first two league matches.[29]
Barkley scored Everton's first goal of the2016–17 season on the opening day of the season, netting in the fifth minute of a 1–1 home draw againstTottenham Hotspur.[30] In May 2017, Everton managerRonald Koeman issued an ultimatum to Barkley, stating that if he was not signing a new contract, despite being offered an extension by the club, he would be sold in the summer.[31] Koeman said on 26 July that Barkley had told him that he was ready for a new challenge and that he would not be signing a new contract with the club.[32]
Barkley did not feature for Everton in his final season with the club, having been sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury.[33]
On 5 January 2018, Barkley joined Premier League clubChelsea for a fee of £15 million, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract with the defending champions. He was assigned shirt number 8 by the club, the same number he wore at Everton.[34][35] Barkley had been close to joining Chelsea previously on the summer transfer deadline day, before a move failed to materialise due to him suffering a long-term injury and wanting to consider his options.[33] Days after its completion, the transfer was referred toMerseyside Police by theMayor of Liverpool,Joe Anderson, to investigate the possibility of fraud in the transaction.[36] No fraud was found.[37]
Barkley made his Chelsea debut in a 2–1 defeat at Arsenal in the semi-final second leg of theEFL Cup on 24 January. He came on as a first-half substitute, replacing the injuredWillian.[38] Barkley made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in a 3–0 home loss toAFC Bournemouth.[39] At the end of the season he was an unused substitute as Chelsea beat Manchester United in the2018 FA Cup final.[40]
On 7 October, Barkley scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 3–0 win away toSouthampton in the Premier League after a strong start to the season under new managerMaurizio Sarri.[41] He followed that up with a last minute equaliser at home toManchester United on 20 October.[42] On 28 October, he scored for the third game running againstBurnley, in a 4–0 away win.[43] On 15 February 2019, Barkley scored his first European goal as Chelsea beat Malmö 2–1 in theirEuropa League last 32 first leg tie. He scored again in his second successive Europa League game againstMalmö six days later in the second-leg tie at home.[44][45] On 29 May 2019, Barkley appeared in Chelsea's 4–1 victory overArsenal in the2019 UEFA Europa League final, coming on as a substitute forMateo Kovačić.[46]
On 17 September 2019, Barkley missed a vital penalty in a homeChampions League game againstValencia. The miss sparked controversy as moments prior had revealed Barkley stepped up to take the penalty without consulting teammates, particularlyJorginho andWillian, the club's two preferred penalty takers. Chelsea would eventually lose the match 0–1.[47] After the game, managerFrank Lampard defended his actions, stating that Barkley was the club's designated penalty taker.[48] Barkley scored his first goal of the season in a 7–1 win overGrimsby Town in the third round of theEFL Cup.[49]
In November 2019, Barkley was pictured topless in a nightclub. As a result, he was left out of Chelsea's squad travelling to Valencia, and Lampard was critical of him.[50]On 23 September 2020, Barkley scored his first goal of the season, the third in a 6–0 home win over Barnsley in the EFL Cup third round.[51]
On 30 September 2020, 26-year-old Barkley joined fellow Premier League side Aston Villa on a season-long loan.[52] On 4 October 2020, Barkley made his Villa debut, scoring one goal in a 7–2 home victory overLiverpool which was his club's biggest league win for 25 years,[53] and followed this two weeks later with a late winner in a 1–0 away win overLeicester City to give Villa their best start to a season for 90 years.[54]
Barkley returned to Chelsea for the2021–22 season. He made his first appearance in a2021–22 EFL Cup third-round match at home to Aston Villa on 22 September 2021, coming on as a substitute forHakim Ziyech in the second half.[55] On 2 October, Barkley made his first Premier League appearance of the season and played a crucial part in the build up that sawTimo Werner score his side's second goal, as Chelsea won 3–1 at home against Southampton.[56]
On 22 May, in the last league game of the season, Barkley marked his 100th appearance for Chelsea with the winning goal againstWatford, which was also the final goal of theRoman Abramovich era.[57][58] Barkley left Chelsea by mutual consent on 29 August 2022.[59]
Barkley signed forLigue 1 clubNice on 4 September 2022.[60] On 10 June 2023, it was announced that Barkley would be leavingNice at the end of June 2023, having made a total of 28 appearances and scoring four goals for the French club.[61]
On 9 August 2023, Barkley joined newly promoted Premier League clubLuton Town on a free transfer.[62] He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat away to Chelsea on 25 August.[63] He scored his first goal for Luton in a 4–3 home loss to Arsenal on 5 December.[64]
Despite relegation, Barkley was namedLuton Town Player of the Season for the2023–24 season.[65]
On 1 July 2024,Aston Villa announced the return of Barkley on a permanent transfer, as he signed a three-year contract with the club;[66][67] the 30-year-old joined for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £5 million.[68]
Barkley missed the start of his second season at Aston Villa due to what managerUnai Emery described as a "personal issue". He returned to Aston Villa training in September 2025.[69]
On 30 November 2025, Barkley suffered a knee injury 13 minutes after coming onto the pitch from the bench in a 1–0 victory overWolverhampton Wanderers. The injury was expected to keep him sidelined for around 2 months.[70]
He has represented England atunder-16,under-17,under-19,under-20,under-21 andsenior level.[71]
He was selected to play in the 2009Montaigu Tournament andcaptained the team to success, beatingGermany 2–1 on penalties in the final.[72] He also helped England win the2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with two goals en route to the final where England beatSpain 2–1.[73]
19 year-old Barkley was called up to the England U-21 squad in August 2011. On 28 May 2013, he was named in managerPeter Taylor's 21-man squad for the2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[74] He made his debut on 16 June, in a 3–0 win in a warm-up match againstUruguay.[75] He scored his first goal for England under-21s on 13 August 2013, in a 6–0 win againstScotland.[76]
Barkley was called up to the senior England squad in August 2013,[77] and earned his first senior cap the following month, coming on as a substitute forJack Wilshere in a 4–0 win in aWorld Cup qualifier againstMoldova atWembley.[78] He was named in theEngland squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil,[79] and made his World Cup debut as a 61st-minute substitute forDanny Welbeck in England's 2–1 opening defeat toItaly inManaus.[80] He played the full match in England's final group match, a 0–0 draw withCosta Rica inBelo Horizonte.[81] He scored his first goal for the senior team in a 6–0 win againstSan Marino in aUEFA Euro 2016 qualifier in September 2015.[82]
In 2013, Everton managerRoberto Martínez described Barkley as a mix ofPaul Gascoigne andMichael Ballack.[83] England managerRoy Hodgson said that Barkley's "pace and power" as well as his "excellent technique" were reminiscent of Paul Gascoigne,[84] andFrank Lampard said that Barkley reminded him of a youngWayne Rooney.
Barkley[85] was born on 5 December 1993[86] inLiverpool, Merseyside.[87] He is of Nigerian descent through his paternal grandfather and bears his mother'smaiden name instead of his father's name, Effanga.[88] Barkley says that his father was "in and out" of his life during his childhood, but he was primarily raised by his mother alone.[89]
In April 2017, Barkley was the victim of what his solicitors called an "unprovoked attack" after being punched twice in the face by a man in a Liverpool nightclub.[90] In the aftermath to this attack,Kelvin MacKenzie, writing inThe Sun newspaper, compared Barkley to "a gorilla in the zoo", leading to a police investigation into whether this constituted a racial hate crime.[91] The Sun later issued an apology for the article, while Everton joined their rivals Liverpool in banning Sun journalists from their stadium and training ground.[92]
In September 2019, police were called after Barkley was involved in an altercation with a taxi driver after dropping chips in their car. Police escorted the drunken Barkley to a cash machine so that he could pay for the taxi.[93] Chelsea manager Frank Lampard stated that while Barkley acted in a naïve way, he had not broken any club rules and would not be punished.[94] However, Barkley revealed in a later interview that, because this night out was the night before a Champions League game againstLille, he was punished by being made to travel to the game, but being forced to watch the match from inside the club coach.[89]
In an interview in November 2025, Barkley stated that he had not drank alcohol since the previous summer as he was planning on going throughout the rest of his career without drinking.[89]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton | 2010–11[95] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[96] | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13[97] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14[98] | Premier League | 34 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 7 | |||
| 2014–15[99] | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | — | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16[100] | Premier League | 38 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 48 | 12 | |||
| 2016–17[101] | Premier League | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 39 | 6 | |||
| 2017–18[102] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 150 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 179 | 27 | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2012–13[97] | Championship | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 4 | ||||
| Leeds United (loan) | 2012–13[97] | Championship | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2017–18[102] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[103] | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12[c] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 48 | 5 | |
| 2019–20[104] | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| 2020–21[105] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2021–22[106] | Premier League | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Total | 58 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 12 | ||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2020–21[105] | Premier League | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 3 | |||
| Nice | 2022–23[107] | Ligue 1 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 4 | ||
| Luton Town | 2023–24[108] | Premier League | 32 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 5 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2024–25[109] | Premier League | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 1 | — | 29 | 4 | |
| 2025–26[110] | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 337 | 46 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 5 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 425 | 60 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2013 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 4 | |
| Total | 33 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2015 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 14 |  San Marino | 3–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying | [112] |
| 2 | 12 October 2015 | LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania | 17 |  Lithuania | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying | [113] |
| 3 | 25 March 2019 | Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro | 27 |  Montenegro | 2–1 | 5–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [114] |
| 4 | 3–1 | |||||||
| 5 | 14 October 2019 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 33 |  Bulgaria | 2–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [115] |
| 6 | 3–0 |
Chelsea
England U17
England
Individual
England squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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