From a Lyon playground to Everton: The unlikely journey of Thierno Barry

Everton signed French forward Thierno Barry from Spanish side Villarreal for a transfer fee of around £27m. Barry's football journey began on a primary school playground in Lyon, where he was discovered and directed to local club AS Montchat in 2012, rather than coming through a major French football academy.

Throughout his early career with AS Montchat, AS Saint-Priest, and SC Toulon, Barry originally played as a defender and midfielder. Under youth coach Youssef Sif at Toulon, he was gradually transitioned into an attacking role and centre-forward, despite facing early setbacks including rejected trials with Clermont and Hamilton.