Barry ties Lampard with 609th Premier League appearance
Sporting the captain's armband, Everton midfielder Gareth Barry started Saturday at Watford, and in doing so made his 609th Premier League appearance, tying Frank Lampard for second on the all-time list.
The Aston Villa academy product is now just 23 behind Ryan Giggs' league-best 632 appearances.
The no-nonsense midfielder, 35, has been on the team sheet for all 14 of the Toffees' league tilts this campaign after appearing in 33 matches last season.
Gareth Barry is set to make his 609th #PL appearance today, going level with Frank Lampard & 23 behind Ryan Giggs 👏 #WATEVE pic.twitter.com/04LHpns1a9
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 10, 2016
Since making the Merseyside switch ahead of the 2013-14 campaign from Manchester City, Barry has been a consistent force for Everton. He's made no fewer than 32 league appearances in his first three campaigns with the club, after matching that standard for dependability in his five years with City.
Barry's 132 Premier League appearances with City were preceded by 365 at Villa, where the 53-time capped England international made his first-team debut in 1998.
With 24 matches to play this season in the league, it's possible Barry could match Giggs' standard in Everton's penultimate fixture, when the Toffees coincidentally host Watford at Goodison Park on May 13.