Thierno Barry looking at Mathys Tel
(Credit: Imago)
Alex Charlton
Wed 20 August 2025 8:40, UK
Thierno Barry is one of the big-money arrivals at Everton this summer, and will be hoping to make his mark soon.
Barry signed for Everton from Villarreal for £27million and is the Toffees’ biggest signing of the summer in terms of transfer fee.
However, David Moyes started the striker on the bench against Leeds United before he made a late cameo in the defeat at Elland Road.
The 22-year-old’s compatriot, Mathys Tel, is in a similar position after signing for Tottenham, but was disgracefully on the receiving end of racist abuse after the UEFA Super Cup final recently.
Thierno Barry wearing the new Everton home kit.
Barry was one of the first signings through the door (Credit: Hasan Karim)
Thierno Barry shows support for Mathys Tel
Everton supporters may have to be patient with Barry after watching Beto start ahead of him in the Premier League opener.
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The 22-year-old was a late arrival at Finch Farm this summer, having represented France in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Indeed, Barry and Tel played alongside each other in the tournament as France were dumped out by Germany.
Tel and Barry represented the France under-21s this summer
They reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Germany
The pair will now face each other in the Premier League
Then, Tel came on as a late substitute for Spurs against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup final and missed a penalty in the shootout.
The 20-year-old was not the only one who missed from the spot, but he was then the subject of online racist abuse.
Tel posted a strong message on Instagram on 19 August stating how he would not let the incident bring him down.
Barry was among a wealth of high-profile names to react to the post, with hundreds of thousands of people liking it.
The Everton star commented with three hearts, showing his support.
Read more: Thierno Barry shares first impressions of Everton fans and Hill Dickinson Stadium
Mathys Tel incident is way too common
Unfortunately, incidents of this nature are now expected in football, and it is a disgrace.
Indeed, the mind instantly wanders to the racist abuse received by Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho after they missed their penalties in the final of the Euros.
You only have to look at Anfield on Friday, with one Liverpool supporter racially abusing Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo on the sidelines.
It is far too easy for people to hide behind screens and post such messages, and seeing it in stadiums shows the issue is not going away.
It is a criminal offence to post racist messages online, and several people were arrested after the Euros incident.
Now, Tel and Barry are set to play against each other in the Premier League, having been teammates on the international stage, as they let their football do the talking.
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