Quotes from Gareth Barry

I was 32 when I signed for Everton, and Roberto Martinez said, 'With your style of game, you can play until you're 40.' I'm sitting there laughing at him, but he was deadly serious. I still laughed.

I have had four great years at Everton. The fans have been brilliant with me from the day I signed until the day I left. I am proud that the club will always be a big part of my career.

If you go into a shopping centre, there are phones and cameras everywhere, and if you're doing the wrong thing, ultimately you're going to get found out. So it's important you're living your life right, and that's hard for a young player.

Burn-out can be an issue if you are playing too many games.

The main reason I have joined Everton is not to try to help my England ambitions - that will come if I am playing consistently well for Everton.

When somebody mentioned yoga for the first time, I just looked at it and thought, 'This isn't for me; it's for an older woman down at the health club trying to get supple.' But I thought, 'No, I can see the benefits there. I've got to embrace it.'

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.

Most people would snap your arm off to do what I've done, but for me to be able to say my career was successful, I need to have some trophies and some medals in my cabinet when I finish.

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.

I have a massive fear of going stale and falling into a comfort zone.

Confidence and momentum are huge in sport.

When you're told you're going to miss out, initially, that first hour after the manager's named the team, you're really disappointed. You can't imagine anything worse. But you can't show that. You've got to go out there and support the lads.

You only have to look at the England squad to see the amount of players who get in the squad and start the games - the majority play in the Champions League.

I think playing international football burns players out, but I was in and out of the England squad so never felt that.

Any great club needs the mentality to go on and achieve things - it is what clubs like United have.

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.

My upbringing wasn't overly comfortable.

Steven Gerrard - at his peak, he was outstanding both attacking and defensively.

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.

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

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.

The way you adapt and play against different teams and different styles is going to be important.

Everton Football Club is more important than the individual.

I'm desperate to play Champions League football, and that's why I have to leave Villa.