Gareth Barry retires from professional football

The Express & Star revealed last week the 39-year-old had left the Baggies after making 52 appearances in three years at The Hawthorns.

And now the Premier League's all-time record appearance holder has decided to hang up his boots once and for all.

Barry - who made 653 top light appearances - played his final game in March this year, when he featured in Albion's 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Newcastle United.

In total, he played in 833 senior games, in a career spanning 23 years.

After coming through the youth ranks at Brighton, Barry was snapped up by Villa in 1998 - the club where he made his name.

He spent 12 years at Villa Park before a £12m move to Manchester City, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League in 2012.

Barry made his debut for England against Ukraine in May 2000 and was named in Kevin Keegan's squad for Euro 2000.

In total, he won 53 caps for his country, scoring three goals.

In 2013, Barry moved to Everton, initially on loan and then on a permanent deal and was named the club's player of the season in the 2015/17 campaign.

Albion became Barry's fourth and final club in August 2017.

And while he only featured six times last season, manager Slaven Bilic often praised his influence off the field as the Baggies won promotion to the Premier League.