Anthony Barry is a name you may have heard before.
But England fans will now find out a lot more about him as he joins the Three Lions as assistant manager to new boss Thomas Tuchel.
Barry will become the new England assistant manager in JanuaryGetty
Barry will be Tuchel’s No.2, just as he was at Bayern Munich over the last year and at Chelsea when the pair won the Champions League.
Many will recognise his name, but due to him rarely being the face of a project, some will be unaware of the impact the 38-year-old has had on teams throughout his career.
However, his introduction by the FA gives you a small insight into his reputation.
The FA’s CEO Mark Bullingham has described Barry as ‘one of the best English coaches’ and ‘a top English talent’ as his role was announced.
He is known as one of the top coaches in the game and his CV speaks for itself, especially on the international stage.
Barry has been assistant to Roberto Martinez with Belgium and Portugal in the past and it’s allowed him to work with some of the world’s best.
He coached footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo while at Portugal and also taught Kevin De Bruyne at Belgium.
At Bayern, he worked with Harry Kane too, and now they’ll be reunited with England.
Speaking about working with the best in the world, he told the Times last year: “So when you work with guys like Cristiano, Harry [Kane], Jorginho, Kevin De Bruyne, your own knowledge is paramount.
“Your communication has to be quick and clear. For that, you have to understand the game’s concepts so deeply they’re in your subconscious.
Barry has a close relationship with Tuchel and has coached some of the world’s bestGetty
Barry was left in awe of Ronaldo when working with PortugalGetty
“What links those players is obsession. Serial winners. Every single one has this steel. They only want to speak about winning. They never switch off.”
On working with Ronaldo specifically, he added: “This fella, he is not a myth. The next day, in the 92nd minute, he scores the winner.
“You come out of a meeting at midnight and bump into Cristiano coming out of an ice bath. He’s relentless.”
Barry never reached the levels of his coaching career when playing, as he built a reputation as a journeyman in English football.
He has been a Liverpool fan since birth, so starting his playing career at Everton must have been a tough decision…
But he did have the privilege of playing alongside England and Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney in the Toffees’ youth ranks.
From there, he made his first professional appearance for Accrington Stanley in 2005 before playing for clubs such as Yeovil Town, Wrexham, Fleetwood and Forest Green.
In 2017, he hung up his boots and became an assistant at Wigan before joining Tuchel at Chelsea and then at Bayern while working for Belgium and Portugal in between.
He was never able to represent his country as a player, but he’s now achieved his dream by joining the England coaching staff.
Barry has achieved his dream of representing EnglandGetty
Speaking after his new role was confirmed, Barry said: “For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again.
“I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.
“This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.”
Barry is known to specialise in the intricacies of football, writing his dissertation for his Pro Licence coaching course on throw-ins.
He was also in charge of set-pieces while at Chelsea and Bayern with Tuchel and their successful partnership will now continue with England.