Attacking midfielder Ross Barkley is an English professional football player who competes for both the England national team and the Premier League club, Chelsea. At the age of 14, he started his professional career as a player for the squad. He had been training at the Everton club since he was 11 years old. He suffered a devastating triple leg break not long after joining the club’s senior team, but he miraculously recovered and was back in time for preseason practice. Before electing to join Chelsea, he spent more than ten years playing for Everton’s junior and senior sides. He also spent two brief loan periods with Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United. He was chosen for Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament despite being qualified to play for the Nigerian national team as an international player. He represented England at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His playing style is frequently contrasted with that of Wayne Rooney, Paul Gascoigne, and Michael Ballack.
Early Childhood & Life
On December 5, 1993, in Liverpool, Merseyside, Ross Barkley was born to European mother Diane Barkley and Nigerian father Peter Effanga. His mother stays at home, while his father works as an automobile engineer.
Growing up, he and his father had a tense relationship, so he decided to adopt his mother’s maiden name, Barkley. However, it was his father, an immigrant, who inspired him to play football and sign up for the Everton club at the age of eleven.
His League Career
Ross Barkley guided the club youth team to several triumphs in important competitions early in his career, including the Echo cup presented by former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
Ross Barkley made his debut for Everton in the first game of the 2010–11 season as a substitute. He collided with Andre Wisdom of Liverpool during an England under-19 game in October 2010, breaking his leg before making his Premier League debut. Prior to the start of preseason workouts for 2011–12, he returned from his injury and joined the first team.
He became the 11th 17-year-old to play for Everton in the Premier League when manager David Moyes gave him his league debut against Queens Park Rangers in August 2011. Despite the fact that the team lost the game 1-0, Radio City Sport named him “Man of the Match,” and in December 2011, he extended his contract with the team for a further four and a half years.
He was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday in 2012 on a one-month loan, and on September 14, 2012, he made his team debut against Brighton & Hove Albion on the road. He was afterward sent on a one-month loan to Leeds United after having his loan extended after he scored his first goal for the team. He made his professional debut for the team in a derby game against Barnsley in January 2013.
When he made his debut for Everton’s first team in the 2013–14 campaign, he did so against Norwich City. He was dubbed “Man of the Match” for his performance. He kept up his outstanding play, earning acclaim from Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker for his ‘Man of the Match’-winning efforts against Swansea City and Arsenal.
On January 4, 2014, during Everton’s 4-0 third-round victory over Queens Park Rangers, he scored his first FA Cup goal. In a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United in March, he put on yet another outstanding display, scoring the game’s first goal while advancing from his own half.
He was one of the six players that made the April 2014 “PFA Young Player of the Year” shortlist after scoring a total of six goals in 34 Premier League games. His goal against Manchester City on May 3 was named the season’s best goal at Everton’s annual awards ceremony.
On July 29, 2014, he agreed to a new four-year contract with Everton, but before the start of the season, he sustained a medial collateral ligament injury that sidelined him until October. When he came back, he helped Romelu Lukaku score in a 3-0 home league victory against Aston Villa and then scored his first goal in a 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
He scored two goals against Watford and Southampton in each of the first two games of the 2015–16 season. He then scored one apiece against Arsenal, Aston Villa, and AFC Bournemouth, as well as two against Newcastle United. He opened the scoring for Everton once more in the team’s 1-1 home tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the 2016–17 campaign.
Ross Barkley refused to sign a contract extension with Everton despite being offered one, Everton manager Ronald Koeman stated in May 2017. Later, he sustained a chronic hamstring ailment that prevented him from participating in any team games during his final season with the club.
On January 5, 2018, he agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League champions Chelsea for a sum of £15 million. On January 24, 2018, he made his club debut as a substitute in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the EFL Cup semifinal. He then made his Premier League debut in a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
His Worldwide Career
Ross Barkley was qualified to represent both England and Nigeria on the international stage because he had a Nigerian grandfather, but he decided to represent his own. In September 2008, at the age of 14, he was called up to the England U-16 team. In 2009, he served as the team’s captain as they won the Montaigu Tournament 2-1 over Germany.
He contributed two goals to England’s U-17 team’s victory at the 2010 UEFA European Championship, and in August 2011, he was called up to the U-21 squad. Two years later, he was nominated to the England team for the World Cup Finals in Brazil and received his first senior cap when playing as a substitute against Moldova in a World Cup qualifying match.
He made his World Cup debut in a loss to Italy and got his first start against Costa Rica in England’s final group game. In a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying game against San Marino in September 2015, he scored his first goal as a senior.
Ross Barkley’s Achievements
Ross Barkley was named to the UEFA Squad of the Tournament after helping the England U-17 team win the 2010 UEFA European Championship. In 2013 and 2014, he received the title of “Everton Young Player of the Year.”
Personal Legacy & Life
Although they supposedly met a few years ago, Ross Barkley is currently seeing Zoe Riozzi, a nursery school employee who grew up in the same neighborhood as he did. She has received a lot of praise from the media for keeping the gifted midfielder grounded due to her reputation as being down to earth.
Estimated Net Worth
One of the wealthiest and most well-known soccer players is Ross Barkley. Our research of Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider revealed that Ross Barkley has a net worth of $5 million.
Trivia
Early in 2017, a video of Ross Barkley being struck on the side of the face by an unknown man in a Liverpool bar called Santa Chupitos soon became popular online. Although his attorney insisted that the savage assault was unjustified, a well-known criminal by the name of Sam Walker afterward accused him online of attempting to get close to the attacker’s girlfriend.