Boubacar "Copa" Barry (born 30 December 1979) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Having begun his career at ASEC Mimosas, he moved to France in 2001, where he played for Rennes' reserve team. In 2003, he joined Belgian side Beveren where he stayed four years. He then spent ten years at K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen amassing 239 league appearances. At international level, he played for the Ivory Coast national team before his retirement from international football in March 2015, but continued to play for his club, Lokeren. Exactly four years after his international retirement, Barry retired also professionally as a player in March 2019.

Club career

Barry scored a penalty for Lokeren in the 2011–12 season, in a 4–0 win against Westerlo. He won the Belgian Cup with Lokeren in the same season as well as in the 2013–14 season. When his contract at Lokeren ran out, he was signed by

Belgian First Division B The Challenger Pro League, previously known as 1B Pro League is the second-highest division in the Football in Belgium, Belgian football Belgian football league system, league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the ...

team Oud-Heverlee Leuven, where he was part of the squad during the 2017–18 and 2018–19 season as backup goalkeeper, but was effectively employed as goalkeeping coach. He retired from playing on 2 March 2019, although at that point in time he had not played a match for over two years.

International career

Barry was called up to the 2006 World Cup as part of the Ivory Coast national team. He appeared in the final group match against

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

on 22 June 2006, which Ivory Coast won 3–2. He started all three matches for the Ivory Coast in Group G in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He earned clean sheets against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

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. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Elephants' 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign as they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the second round, following an injury-time defeat to

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2015 Africa Cup of Nations

Barry was called up to the Ivory Coast squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations held in Equatorial Guinea. He was benched for most of the tournament in favour of his younger teammate Sylvain Gbohouo, but went on to play in the final following Gbohouo's injury in the semi-final. It was his second appearance in the showpiece event having been in goal in the 2012 final against

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

; a match that the Ivory Coast lost 7–8 on penalties after the game finished 0–0. The 2015 final finished goalless after normal and extra-time, and Barry emerged as the hero by saving two penalties and scoring the winning penalty, overcoming a cramp in the process. A month later, on 2 March 2015, he retired from international football.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Lokeren * Belgian Cup: 2011–12, 2013–14 Ivory Coast * Africa Cup of Nations: 2015 Individual * Belgian Goalkeeper of the Year: 2008–09

References

External links

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Profile and stats
- Lokeren {{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Boubacar 1979 births Living people Footballers from Abidjan Ivorian people of Guinean descent Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Men's association football goalkeepers Ivorian men's footballers Ivorian expatriate men's footballers Ivory Coast men's international footballers Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Belgian Pro League players Challenger Pro League players Ligue 1 players ASEC Mimosas players Stade Rennais FC players K.S.K. Beveren players K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players Oud-Heverlee Leuven players 2002 African Cup of Nations players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2006 Africa Cup of Nations players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2012 Africa Cup of Nations players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players Africa Cup of Nations–winning players Oud-Heverlee Leuven non-playing staff Ivorian football managers Association football goalkeeping coaches 21st-century Ivorian sportsmen