From unlucky man to match winner: Thierno Barry’s emotional reaction after double packing

Two matches, two broadcasts

But Barry’s FCB debut ends in a fiasco. Out in St. Gallen he was sent off with a yellow and red card and Basel eventually lost 2-1. Five days later, the striker was given the chance to make amends in the Conference League qualifiers. This time he takes two penalties and is again thrown off the field because he clears the ball with his hand on the goal line. He missed the second leg, in which the FCB can no longer reverse the 1:3 mortgage against Kazakh representative Tobol Kostanay due to suspension.

Despite the horror start, Timo Schultz (46) and later Heiko Vogel (48) continue to rely on Barry. The 1.95 meter tall man keeps sniffing his first Super League goal, but bad luck stubbornly sticks to his boots. Away against the classification (1:3), his goal was canceled due to a narrow offside position. In the home match against FCZ (2:2), teammate Demir sweeps the ball from his feet, completely free-standing. ‘I received a lot of criticism. That was very difficult for me,” Barry reflects.

Barry counts epee

When Fabio Celestini (48) took over in November, things became even more difficult for Barry. In the 1-0 win in the cup round of 16, he languished on the bench for 90 minutes. In the first eight games under Celestini, the striker was only allowed to start once. The FC Basel chapter seems to be over for Barry after just a few months, also because club boss David Degen (40) is publicly questioning the summer newcomer.

But his trainer in particular wants to keep the alleged bad purchase. Before the winter break, Celestini wants to talk to his player. “He told me I needed to clear my head,” Barry says. Free from his loading glitches, but also from the racist hostility that the striker repeatedly faces on social media.

Singing “Barry, Barry” while jogging

He succeeds in this together with his girlfriend during the winter holidays. Also because the unfortunate attacker suddenly feels the support of the fans. “I got messages like ‘You’re going to score a goal today!’ I’m a very emotional person and something like that made me feel good,” Barry reveals.

Even in the first match after the winter break, he felt how much the Basel crowd was longing for a goal to kill the chance. When Barry misses a big chance in the test kick against Bayern Munich, the Muttenzer curve responds with chants of “Barry, Barry”. “It showed me I was home,” Barry said.

And suddenly things are going well for the young Frenchman. He impressed Celestini in training, making three consecutive starts and ending his 19-match losing streak. But Barry doesn’t want to talk about the big redemption yet. “I only scored today. My goal is to score in every match,” he said. Preferably on Saturday in his new home against Lugano.