Modou Barrow (born 13 October 1992), commonly known as Mo Barrow, is a Gambian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli and the Gambia national team. He is a winger but can also play as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

. He grew up in Sweden where he played for several senior clubs. In 2014, he signed for

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. After loans to three Championship clubs, he transferred to Reading in 2017. Barrow made his international debut for the Gambia national team in 2015.

Club career

Early life and Sweden

Barrow was born in the Gambia. When he was 11, his mother died. He and his four brothers joined their father in Sweden. He reflected that "Football obviously helped me get through that period of my life. I was very good at football and got a lot of friends at my new school, mainly because many of them really liked to play football with me. I was never bullied because I was from another country." He spent his youth career at

Östers IF Östers Idrottsförening, commonly known as Östers IF or simply Öster, is a Swedish sports club located in Växjö, specializing in Association football, football, and playing in the second tier of Swedish football, Superettan. The club has ...

and

Mjölby AI Mjölby ( or ) is a city and the seat of Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 12,245 inhabitants in 2010. Mjölby is located by the rivulet Svartån. The name "Mjölby" is derived from ''Mölloby'', which comes from or ''mö ...

, before earning his first senior appearances with

. His best friend from Gambia had moved to the town of

Mjölby Mjölby ( or ) is a city and the seat of Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 12,245 inhabitants in 2010. Mjölby is located by the rivulet Svartån. The name "Mjölby" is derived from ''Mölloby'', which comes from or ''möl ...

. While visiting his friend, he was invited to train with the club, and quickly caught the eye of the senior squad. This in turn led to a deal with the nearby club

IFK Norrköping Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollförbund and play their ...

. After spells at fellow Swedish sides

Mjölby Södra IF Mjölby Södra IF is a Swedish football club located in Mjölby. Background Mjölby Södra IF currently plays in Division 4 Östergötland Västra which is the sixth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at the Lundbyvallen in M ...

, and

Varbergs BoIS Varbergs BoIS FC is a Swedish football club located in Varberg, the main town of Varberg Municipality in Halland County. Background The club was formed at a meeting in the Varbergs Folkets Hus on 25 March 1925. The backbone of the new club was ...

, he joined Swedish second-tier side

Östersunds FK Östersunds Fotbollsklubb, commonly known simply as Östersunds FK, Östersund () or (especially locally) ÖFK, is a Swedish professional football club located in Östersund, Sweden and since 2022 play in the Swedish second tier, Superettan. The ...

in 2014. He scored 10 goals in 19 matches in his only season for them in

Superettan Superettan (; meaning the super first (division)) is an association football league and the second highest league in the league system of Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Al ...

Swansea City

On 30 August 2014, Barrow completed his transfer to

side

for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £1.5 million, after being signed by manager

Garry Monk Garry Alan Monk (born 6 March 1979) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a centre back, and was most recently the manager of Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. His managerial career includes spells at ...

. He became the first Gambian footballer to play in the Premier League –

Omar Koroma Omar Alieu Koroma (born 22 January 1989) is a Gambian footballer who currently plays for Worthing. He is also a former Gambia international. He is the first ever Gambian to be signed by an English Premier League club. He plays as a striker an ...

spent two seasons at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

starting in 2008, but failed to make an appearance.. "I like the way Swansea play football, it reminds me of how I used to play back home. I've watched a lot of their matches on TV and I was impressed with what I saw," he said on signing for Swansea. "They like to give young players a chance and hopefully I can progress here." Barrow went straight into the Under-21s squad. On 28 October 2014, Barrow was included on the bench for Swansea's

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

match against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He was assigned the squad number 58. On 9 November 2014, Barrow made his Swansea City and Premier League debut against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, coming on in place of

Marvin Emnes Marvin Renato Emnes (born 27 May 1988) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger. Early life Born in Rotterdam, Emnes was a sprinter as a youth. Emnes played football for amateur side Xerxes before he joined the Spar ...

for the last 23 minutes of a 2–1 home win. He scored his first Swansea goal on 3 January 2015 in a 6–2 win at

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...

in the third round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. Barrow signed a new four-year contract until June 2018. Barrow was loaned to

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

on 11 March 2015 until the end of the 2014–15 season. On 10 August 2015, Barrow was loaned to

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

on a three-month emergency loan. On 8 September, he was recalled by Swansea and remained a regular under manager

Francesco Guidolin Francesco Guidolin (; born 3 October 1955) is an Italian football manager and former player, most recently the manager of Premier League team Swansea City. He has coached various Italian club sides in Serie A, winning the 1996–97 Coppa Italia ...

, Barrow scored his first league goal for Swansea in a 3–2 defeat at

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

on 12 March 2016. He signed a new contract at Swansea on 7 July 2016, keeping him at the club until 2019 and also adding a £15 million pound release clause for the player. Despite playing 20 times for Swansea during the first half of the 2016–17 season under Guidolin and

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of Toronto FC. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Maj ...

, after falling out of favour under new manager

Paul Clement Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American lawyer who served as U.S. Solicitor General from 2004 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the U.S. Supreme Court. He established his own law firm, Clement & Murphy, in 2022 after le ...

due to the signing of

Luciano Narsingh Luciano Narsingh (born 13 September 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Ekstraklasa club Miedź Legnica. He is right-footed and usually plays as a right winger but can also play as a left winger, and both side of attacking mi ...

, Barrow was made available for a transfer. He was strongly linked with a move to Championship side

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

. On 31 January 2017, Barrow joined

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

on loan until the end of the 2016–17 season, with a view to a permanent deal. The move saw him link up with Monk. After failing to break into the first team, he was not purchased by Leeds. During his time at Swansea he became the first Gambian to score a Premier League goal.

Reading

On 21 July 2017, Swansea rejected a bid from

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in the region of £1.25 million, before Barrow signed a four-year contract with Reading on 3 August for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for Reading in a 2–1 home win against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

on 15 August.

Denizlispor (loan)

On 12 August 2019,

Denizlispor Denizlispor, due to current sponsorship Altaş Denizlispor, is a Turkish sports club based in Denizli. It is known by its distinct green and black colors. The club's branches include football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and gymnastics. ...

announced the signing of Barrow on a season-long loan deal, with

confirming the deal a day later.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

On 20 July 2020, Reading confirmed the permanent transfer of Barrow to

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors ( ko, 전북 현대 모터스) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Playing at the Jeonju World Cup S ...

Al-Ahli

On 16 January 2023, Al Ahli Saudi announced the signing of Barrow from

International career

On 31 March 2015, Barrow was called up for the

Sweden national under-21 football team The Sweden national under-21 football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. The Swedish U21 team came into existence, following the real ...

, however he pulled out of the squad due to an injury he had sustained. In May 2015, he was called up for the

Gambia national football team The Gambia national football team represents The Gambia in men's international football and is controlled by the Gambia Football Federation. Until 1965, the team and the country were known as British Gambia. The team has never qualified for the ...

, and on 22 May, he confirmed on his Twitter account that he had decided to play for his native

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. Barrow made his debut for Gambia during the

2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champion ...

in a goalless draw away to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

on 13 June 2015. Barrow scored his first international goal on 27 March 2017, opening a 2–1 friendly win over the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...

, Morocco. He played in the

2021 Africa cup of Nations The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (also referred to as AFCON 2021 or CAN 2021), known as the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's foo ...

, his national team's first continental tournament, where they made a sensational quarter-final.

Style of play

Barrow is a pacey winger, who likes to run with the ball and take on defenders and create chances. He can also play as a

. He revealed that with his style of play that 'I want to get the fans on their feet, and I fight until the end'.

Personal life

Barrow lives with his fiancée and their daughter Anya, born in November 2014. Barrow holds a Swedish citizenship. In 2012, Barrow was sentenced to community service and probation after assaulting his girlfriend. He is a devout

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Gambia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barrow goal.''

Honours

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors *

K League 1 The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Korean FA Cup The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Modou 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Banjul Gambian footballers Association football forwards Allsvenskan players Superettan players Premier League players English Football League players Süper Lig players Saudi First Division League players IFK Norrköping players Östersunds FK players Swansea City A.F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Reading F.C. players Denizlispor footballers Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players Al-Ahli Saudi FC players The Gambia international footballers 2021 Africa Cup of Nations players Gambian emigrants to Sweden Gambian expatriate footballers Gambian expatriate sportspeople in Wales Expatriate footballers in Wales Gambian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Gambian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Turkey Gambian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Expatriate footballers in South Korea Gambian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia