West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry plans to play on for as long as possible after equalling Ryan Giggs´s Premier League appearance record at the weekend.
The 36-year-old started in the Baggies´ 0-0 draw against West Ham on Saturday to draw level with the Manchester United legend´s mark of 632 games.
Barry, who made his debut in 1998, will beat Giggs´s record if he features at Arsenal on September 25.
“It´s a huge number when you think about it,” Barry told the BBC. “It´s gone so quickly. I´ve been lucky to keep fit through the years. It won´t be until you look back and have hung your boots up when you realise how big a number it is.
“When you think of what´s happened in between, there´s so much which has gone on. It has gone quickly as I remember that moment (debut) well.
“In today´s game there´s nowhere to hide, everything´s recorded. It can help the older players because back in the day when you got to a certain age you were too old no matter what you did. Now if a 36-year-old is running more than a 21-year-old it´s there.”
Former England midfielder Barry looked likely to fall short of Giggs´s mark after losing his starting place at Everton last season, leading to speculation he could drop down to the Championship with former club Aston Villa.
Instead, Barry landed a move to the Hawthorns and is still playing a key role for the Baggies, who sit comfortably in mid-table after an encouraging start to the season. (AFP)
