Over the years, Barcelona have produced some incredible players through their famous La Masia academy. Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets are just a handful of generational talents to emerge from within the club's youth setup.
Louie Barry, however, is a less familiar name to the average football fan. But he represents an interesting part of the club's history as he became the English player to ever board at La Masia in 2019.
But how did he get on at Barca and what is he up to these days?
Barry Joined Barcelona Academy at 16
Trained with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez
Barry was just 16 years of age when he left West Bromwich Albion in July to join the Catalan club on a three-year contract. He bagged three goals in preseason with the youth team, but his momentum was halted when a delay in processing his registration with FIFA meant he had to sit out the first seven games of the season.
When he eventually made his first start for the Barca U19 team, he made an instant impact, scoring off the bench in a 6-0 win over Ebro. He even impressed enough to train with the first team. Recalling the unforgettable experience, he said:
“Messi and [Luis] Suarez were there, yeah. I trained once with them, but it was a very low standard – it was a set-piece kind of thing. I got called up from the B team. But I’ve trained with Messi, I can say that.”
However, his time in Spain would be short-lived as after just one season abroad – in a campaign cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic – he moved back to England. He agreed to join Aston Villa in 2020 and remains there to this day.
Marcus McGuane Related
What Happened to First Englishman to Play for Barcelona Since Gary Lineker
Marcus McGuane was snapped up by Barcelona at just 18 years old and has had an interesting career since
Barry on loan at Hull City in Championship
Proved too good for League One earlier in 2024/25
Now 21, he has spent essentially the entirety of his senior career out on loan at various clubs. Although he caught the eye on his debut for Aston Villa, scoring to equalise against Liverpool in a 4-1 FA Cup third-round defeat in January 2021, that remains his only outing for the Premier League club.
After the match, Jurgen Klopp called him a "Little Jamie Vardy", and perhaps there was more truth behind that than anticipated at the time. Indeed, the Leicester City legend had to spend many years in the lower leagues before finally proving himself at a higher level and Barry could be on the same path.
Spells at Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, Milton Keynes Dons, and Salford City all followed. He has perhaps been most impressive at Stockport County, though. Despite an injury-hit first term with the League Two club, he helped them earn promotion and was kept on loan for the 2024/25 season.
Louie Barry stats this season (for both loan clubs (Hull and Stockport)
Then playing in League One, Barry looked far too good for that level. He scored 15 goals and claimed three assists in 23 games at Stockport and Villa evidently felt he had outgrown that level, as the loan was cut short in January 2025.
Still only 21, he now plays in the Championship on loan at Hull City. Sadly, an injury has kept him sidelined in recent months, meaning he's played just four league games for his new club so far – starting twice without delivering any goals or assists. He has also been linked with a possible move to Celtic, and it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here.
Stats via SofaScore - correct as of 30/03/25