1. Ross Barkley was born on 5 December 1993 and is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa.
27 Facts About Ross Barkley
1. 2.
Ross Barkley signed for Chelsea in 2018 and won the FA Cup in 2018, the UEFA Europa League in 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021.
3.
Ross Barkley played for England at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was selected in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016.
4.
Ross Barkley was born on 5 December 1993 in Liverpool, Merseyside.
5.
Ross Barkley is of Nigerian descent through his paternal grandfather and bears his mother's maiden name instead of his father's name, Effanga.
6.
Ross Barkley joined Everton as an 11-year-old and played for the club's youth teams.
7.
Ross Barkley scored his first goal for the club, a penalty, against Bolton Wanderers the following week.
8.
Ross Barkley's loan was extended before he was recalled by Everton after playing 13 matches for Wednesday.
9.
Ross Barkley again went out on loan, this time to Leeds United for an "initial one-month stint", in January 2013 and made his debut for Leeds in a derby match against Barnsley.
10.
Ross Barkley received praise from pundits including Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker who said Barkley was a star in the making and a prodigious talent.
11.
On 29 July 2014, Ross Barkley signed a new contract with Everton, keeping him at the club until 2018.
12.
In May 2017, Everton manager Ronald Koeman issued an ultimatum to Ross 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.
13.
Ross Barkley did not feature for Everton in his final season with the club, having been sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury.
14.
Ross Barkley was assigned shirt number 8 by the club, the same number he wore at Everton.
15.
Ross 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.
16.
Ross Barkley came on as a first-half substitute, replacing the injured Willian.
17.
Ross Barkley scored again in his second successive Europa League game against Malmo six days later in the second-leg tie at home.
18.
On 17 September 2019, Ross Barkley missed a vital penalty in a home Champions League game against Valencia.
19.
The miss sparked controversy as moments prior had revealed Ross Barkley stepped up to take the penalty without consulting teammates, particularly Jorginho and Willian, the club's two preferred penalty takers.
20.
In November 2019, Ross Barkley was pictured topless in a nightclub.
21.
On 30 September 2020,26-year-old Ross Barkley joined fellow Premier League side Aston Villa on a season-long loan.
22.
Ross Barkley left Chelsea by mutual consent on 29 August 2022.
23.
Ross Barkley signed for Ligue 1 club Nice on 4 September 2022.
24.
On 10 June 2023, it was announced that Ross Barkley would be leaving Nice at the end of June 2023, having made a total of 28 appearances and scoring four goals for the French club.
25.
On 9 August 2023, Ross Barkley joined newly promoted Premier League club Luton Town on a free transfer.
26.
Ross Barkley has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20, under-21 and senior level.
27.
Barcelona midfielder Xavi said in November 2014 that Ross Barkley was good enough to play for the La Liga club, praising his physical and technical qualities in both penalty areas.