Barry Bannan

Barry Ryan Bannan (born 1 December 1989) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for and captains EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.

Bannan began his career at Albion Rovers before moving to the Celtic Academy and later the Aston Villa Academy.

In 1999, as a nine-year-old ball boy for Albion Rovers, he came to prominence during a match against Montrose, when after fetching the ball, he began juggling it and then flicked it over the head of a Montrose player running towards him.

The bit of skill sent the crowd wild and Albion Rovers chairman Davie Shanks was impressed, saying "He's the best player out there".

Bannan joined Celtic's youth academy in 2002; he was 14 when he chose to accept a trial offer from Aston Villa.

While on trial at the Academy of the English club, he took part in the Ergenzingen Tournament in Germany.

The Villa youth outfit won the tournament courtesy of a 1–0 final victory over FSV Mainz, with Bannan being named player of the tournament.

Shortly after, the young Scot was offered a two-year contract with the club.

In the 2007–08 season, he scored 13 goals in 32 matches for Villa's academy team as they won the Premier Academy league title, as well as playing for the reserve team as they won the Premier Reserve League South.

Following the season's end he signed a two-year professional contract with the club.

After four years in their youth and reserve sides he made his senior debut for Aston Villa in 2008, and was subsequently loaned to Derby County, Blackpool and Leeds United in the Championship to gain experience.

In November 2008, Bannan was named "Young Player of the Month" by local radio station BBC WM, the first Villa player to win the award twice.

His first team debut came on 17 December, as a 61st-minute substitute for Craig Gardner in a 1–3 UEFA Cup group stage defeat to German side Hamburger SV at the Volksparkstadion, and made his full début in the same competition's Round of 32, a 0–2 defeat away to Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow on 26 February 2009.

Bannan joined Championship side Derby County on loan for one month in March 2009.

He scored on his Rams debut, his first competitive league goal, in a 2–4 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and his loan was extended to the end of the season, making a total of ten appearances and scoring once.

Bannan was able to return to the Aston Villa reserve side that were champions of the Premier Reserve League South, and played in their 3–1 win over Premier Reserve League North winners Sunderland reserves in the play-off final.

In November 2009, Bannan joined Championship side Blackpool on loan, making his debut as an 87th-minute substitute in the 1–1 West Lancashire derby with Preston North End at Bloomfield Road.

His full debut came in a 3–0 win away to Middlesbrough on 8 December.

A full international since 2010, Bannan has earned 27 caps for Scotland.

Born in Airdrie, Bannan began playing at local youth team Lenzie Youth Club.

In January 2010 the loan was extended to the end of the season, and two days later Bannan scored his first goal for the club, with a 30-yard lob, in a 1–1 draw away to Coventry City.

In February 2010, Bannan was one of three players, along with Ishmel Demontagnac and Neal Eardley, disciplined by Ian Holloway, when they were seen out at a nightclub two days previously in Blackpool following the home defeat to Leicester City.

Bannan came on for the final two minutes at Wembley as Blackpool won the Championship play-off final against Cardiff City and secured promotion to the Premier League.

Bannan returned to Villa for the 2010–11 season, and made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the season, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute against West Ham United.

He scored his first goal for Villa in a Europa league qualifier against Rapid Vienna.

On 6 November, Bannan was handed his first start of the season against Fulham and started the following two games against Blackpool and Manchester United.

He was given a run of games in the first team by manager Gérard Houllier due to the absence of many first-team players through injury.

On 7 March 2011, Bannan joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season.

Bannan made his Leeds debut as a second-half substitute against Preston North End.

He made his home debut at Elland Road on 12 March as a second-half substitute against Ipswich Town.

Bannan was recalled from his loan spell at Leeds on 28 April 2011.

Bannan scored his first goal in the Premier League for Villa with a 57th-minute penalty against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on 25 September 2011.

Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, Bannan found his first team opportunities limited and a move away from the club looked increasingly likely.

In 2013, he signed for Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee, and after a brief loan to Bolton Wanderers, moved on to Sheffield Wednesday.

On 26 July 2013, Blackburn Rovers were reported to have tabled a bid of £750,000 to sign Bannan from Villa.

However the move failed to materialise as terms could not be agreed with Bannan's representatives.

Bannan signed a three-year contract with Crystal Palace on 2 September 2013, for an undisclosed fee.

He was signed by Ian Holloway, with whom he had worked at Blackpool.

Bannan's first Palace goal in the Premier League was on 23 November, the only goal in a 0–1 away win at Hull City.

On 2 February 2015, transfer deadline day, Bannan joined Championship club Bolton Wanderers on loan for the duration of the season as part of the deal that saw Lee Chung-yong join Crystal Palace.