Striker strives for long stay in the Premier League, years on from ‘losing love to play football’ during poor run with Basel
‘A
re you a professional footballer?” was a question Thierno Barry had dreamed about answering in the affirmative, but on this occasion modesty was the best policy. The Frenchman was on a Zanzibar beach, surrounded by a group of 10-year-old boys he had schooled in a kickabout that helped him rediscover his love of the game after a difficult start in Basel.
Switzerland was next on Barry’s path after he had proven his talent in the Belgian second division at Beveren but it was not a smooth trajectory. “Two stupid red cards” in his first two appearances and failing to score in 16 Swiss league games left Barry needing to get away, so he headed to Africa and switched off his phone to enjoy the tranquillity of the Indian Ocean, a world away from football.
“I had played in Belgium and scored 20 goals, easy 20 goals, and then I went to Basel and when I went there I thought it would be easy to score there, too,” Barry says from Everton’s Finch Farm training ground before Saturday’s game at Brighton. “I found it was not easy. With the pressure and everything, I lost my confidence, I lost the love to play football – I lost everything. I saw some kids playing on the beach. My girlfriend said: ‘Go and play with these kids.’ I went and played and had a game. I was dribbling and just loved to touch the ball and when I came back to Basel I was like a different person.”
