Barry Bannan

Early years

Born in Airdrie, Bannan began playing at local youth team Lenzie Youth Club. In 1999, as a nine-year-old ball boy for Albion Rovers, he came to prominence during a match against Montrose, when after fetching the ball, he began juggling it and then flicked it over the head of a Montrose player running towards him. The bit of skill sent the crowd wild and Albion Rovers chairman Davie Shanks was impressed, saying "He's the best player out there". Bannan joined Celtic's youth academy in 2002; he was 14 when he chose to accept a trial offer from Aston Villa. While on trial at the Academy of the English club, he took part in the Ergenzingen Tournament in Germany. The Villa youth outfit won the tournament courtesy of a 1–0 final victory over FSV Mainz, with Bannan being named player of the tournament. Shortly after, the young Scot was offered a two-year contract with the club.

Aston Villa

Early years

In the 2007–08 season, he scored 13 goals in 32 matches for Villa's academy team as they won the Premier Academy league title, as well as playing for the reserve team as they won the Premier Reserve League South. Following the season's end he signed a two-year professional contract with the club. In November 2008, Bannan was named "Young Player of the Month" by local radio station BBC Radio WM, the first Villa player to win the award twice. His first team debut came on 17 December, as a 61st-minute substitute for Craig Gardner in a 1–3 UEFA Cup…

Bannan played for the Scotland under-21 team in their first five games of the 2011 UEFA Under-21 qualification campaign. He made his début in a 1–0 victory over Albania on 28 March 2009. On 15 November 2009 he helped the under-21s beat Azerbaijan 4–0 at the Tofik Bakhramov Stadium in Baku. Bannan scored his first goal for the under 21s in a win against Austria that earned qualification for the play-offs. He also has one B cap, earned in a 3–0 win over Northern Ireland B on 6 May 2009. On 11 November 2010, Bannan received his first call up to the senior squad for the friendly against Faroe Islands. Bannan made his debut for the Scotland national team against Faroe Islands on 16 November 2010. Bannan's performance prompted manager Craig Levein to call him a future star of Scottish football. Bannan was then called up to the Scotland squad to face Brazil in March 2011. Bannan made his first competitive start for Scotland in Euro 2012 qualifier against Lithuania in September 2011. He was named man-of-the-match and got a standing ovation from the Hampden Park crowd after setting up the winning goal.

Bannan is primarily a central midfielder but also can play as a winger. He is particularly useful with his left foot. Aston Villa manager Gérard Houllier likened Bannan to Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, saying "He is an intelligent player, he can read the game well and adapt well. I don't think Xavi and Iniesta, who are outstanding players, are of huge size. They are intelligent, they have the skill, they have the desire – young Barry has all of that." Ian Holloway, who Bannan played under during his time at Blackpool, described him as "a beautiful footballer, absolutely lovely to watch". Bannan's height and playing style have also led to Scotland teammate Darren Fletcher comparing him to the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Paul Scholes. The former Manchester United midfielder stated that Bannan "is in the mould of the best midfielders in the world", and said "I'm talking about Xavi, Iniesta and Paul Scholes". In December 2010, Houllier was again full of praise for him. He said "Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro. You can watch and wonder if they are playing in the youth team sometimes. They have fast technique and young Barry has all of that." Houllier then defended Bannan's size, and insisted it won't hold him back. Houllier said "The Premier League has got more physical but it is not about a matter of size. Obviously you need size in some positions but it's also a matter of commitment and physical commitment. Barry is competitive." Bannan, however, claimed that former…

Bannan was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, to James and Kathleen Bannan, who now live in Coatbridge. Bannan's grandfather, Tommy, was also a professional footballer, who scored over 100 times for Wrexham during the 1950s. By the time he had reached the age of seven, Bannan had undergone four operations. The first was for a hernia; two more followed for a blocked tube into his kidney; and the fourth was for the removal of his appendix. Bannan supports his former team, Celtic and his boyhood hero is midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, with whom he played at Aston Villa.