Stockport's Barry - Barcelona to Wembley via nine loans
But while that dream ended and he is not firing in goals at the Nou Camp, he is preparing for a second trip to Wembley Stadium this season. Barry, in his third loan spell with Stockport, featured in their Vertu Trophy final loss to Luton Town at Wembley a month ago and will be back at the home of English football next weekend after the 3-0 aggregate win over Stevenage. It is the latest twist in a story that has taken Barry from the biggest of clubs to the smallest of League Two venues - while scoring against the Premier League champions along the way.
Louie Barry scored on his one and only first-team appearance for Aston Villa Barry was West Bromwich Albion academy's star turn as a youngster but when Barcelona came calling he could not turn down the chance to train at La Masia - the academy that has groomed Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal and Andres Iniesta. However, after just 10 youth-team appearances, Barry was back in the Midlands as Aston Villa paid a 1m Euro fee (about £880,000 at the time) to bring him home . "It sends a powerful message about the ambition of this football club," said Villa academy manager Mark Harrison at the time.
Since then though, Barry's chances at Villa have been rare - even though he has a 100% goals-to-games ratio for the first team. Barry was part of a Villa youth side that faced then Premier League champions Liverpool in the FA Cup in third round in January 2021. With Covid restrictions in full flow, a positive test among the Villa first team meant the youngsters had to step up...
and step up Barry did. With Liverpool 1-0 ahead, the then-17-year-old raced on to a through ball and calmly slotted home to make it 1-1 shortly before half-time. While Villa went on to lose 4-1, Barry had made his mark - but it was the last time, for now anyway, he was seen at the top level.
Louie Barry scored a hat-trick in Stockport's 3-1 win over Peterborough last month, having registered 10 shots in an ultra-lively display A nomadic trek around the three tiers of the English Football League has been Barry's life for the past few years - as well as regular mentions in gossip columns whenever the transfer window is open. Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Salford City, Hull City and Sheffield United have all had Barry, who is still under contract with Villa until 2028, on their books on loan. But it is at Stockport he seems to have found a home.