Gareth Barry has revealed he was placed in handcuffs by Spanish police after a late-night taxi joyride during a West Brom team bonding trip to Barcelona in 2018. The former Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton midfielder, who holds the record for the most yellow cards in Premier League history, recounted the incident on the All Out Football podcast In The Mixer.
Curfew broken in Barcelona
Barry, now 45, was on the trip with teammates Jonny Evans, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill when the group broke curfew and ended up in an Irish bar past midnight. He explained: "Four of us go to an Irish bar and it's past midnight. We broke our curfew."
On the way home, the players asked the taxi driver to stop at McDonald's. Barry recalled: "For some reason, he got out of the car to order it, which was a mistake by the taxi driver. One of us decides to jump in and drive the taxi away as a bit of a joke and said, 'We'll drive it around outside, around in a circle and bring it back.'"
Police involvement and aftermath
The plan went wrong when the group drove the wrong way and ended up in highway traffic. Barry said he jumped out to tell the taxi driver they were bringing the car back, but by the time he got there, the police were present. He called the other players to warn them not to return, and they drove the taxi to the hotel.
Barry said: "But then I'm in handcuffs looking for them. In the police car! So I'm ruling myself out of driving this taxi. So you can blame one of the other three." The next morning, manager Alan Pardew addressed the team, saying: "What's going on lads? Somebody in this team has stole a taxi."
The four players did not face criminal punishment after the taxi driver dropped the charges, but they were fined by the club. Barry said he was docked two weeks' wages, and the players issued a joint public apology. He added: "We broke curfew and it was unprofessional. Just one of those team bonding moments that got out of hand."
Team bonding trip questioned
Barry also questioned the decision to go on the trip, noting it was booked expecting West Brom to be knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool at Anfield. After winning that match, the team still went, with Pardew insisting on one night out for team bonding. Barry said: "It's like poor preparation really, isn't it?"
West Brom lost 2-1 to Southampton in the fifth-round clash a few days later. Barry and Evans received a mixed reception from the crowd, while Myhill remained on the bench and Livermore was absent through injury.
