World Cup prompted Barry City move

12 August 2009 12:19
England midfielder Gareth Barry admits the World Cup next year was a factor in deciding to move from Aston Villa to Manchester City this summer. The 28-year-old spent more than a decade at Villa Park but wanted to be part of the potentially exciting future at Eastlands, where he wants to challenge the traditional top four of the Barclays Premier League. "There will be a lot of spotlight on us and the players we have," he said. "Hopefully we can challenge the top four that have dominated for so long." He added: "I'm at a club creating a lot of headlines and it's very exciting. We just want a competitive game now and to start the season well. "When you spend 12 years at a club it's always a big decision to leave, but hopefully my decision can be backed up by the way we play this year. "The World Cup was in the back of my mind and I'm confident I can play a big part for Man City and go into the World Cup having hopefully qualified with a lot of confidence." England are on the brink of qualifying for South Africa but still need to put the finishing touches to their campaign with a result against Croatia next month. They warm up with a friendly against Holland at Amsterdam ArenA. "You can understand why you want to play these games as we are playing a great team in Holland who have already qualified for the World Cup," Barry said. "So it's a good test and it's a great build-up for Croatia. "We have some tough memories of the home game against them which we can hopefully put right."

Source: Eurosport