Ashley Barnes: Age, Nationality, Burnley Career & Stats

Ask a Burnley fan about Ashley Barnes and you’ll hear one word: fight. The striker with the Austrian passport and the English birthplace has spent over a decade at Turf Moor, climbing from the non-league ranks to 207 Premier League appearances and 42 top-flight goals.

Full name: Ashley Luke Barnes ·
Date of birth: 30 October 1989 (age 35) ·
Nationality: Austrian / English ·
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) ·
Position: Striker / Centre-forward ·
Current club: Burnley (EFL Championship)

Eight key facts at a glance, drawn from official and verified sources:

What country is Ashley Barnes from?

Nationality and eligibility

Ashley Barnes was born in Bath, England, but he holds Austrian citizenship through his mother. This dual status creates a split in the databases: the Premier League official site lists him as Austrian, while ESPN still shows England. He represented Austria at youth level (U19) but has never played for the senior national team.

The implication: Barnes is eligible for both, but his international career remains inactive.

Is Ashley Barnes back at Burnley?

Current contract status

Ashley Barnes is currently under contract with Burnley FC until June 2025, with a club option for one further season, according to Transfermarkt. He never left permanently — Barnes signed for Burnley in January 2014 and has remained ever since, not counting a brief loan to Norwich City in 2018. After Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League in 2023, he stayed with the club rather than seeking a move elsewhere.

• Joined Burnley: 10 January 2014 (Transfermarkt)
• Remained after 2023 relegation
• Contract expiry: June 2025 + club option

The pattern: Barnes has shown remarkable loyalty to Burnley, staying through two relegations and multiple managerial changes.

Where is Ashley Barnes today?

Current club and role

Ashley Barnes is still a striker for Burnley FC in the EFL Championship. As of the 2024–25 season, he continues to feature in matchday squads, wearing the number 10 shirt. With over 275 appearances for the club across all competitions, he is considered a veteran presence in the dressing room. FotMob lists his age as 36, but official records confirm his birth date as 30 October 1989. His role has evolved from starting striker to impact substitute, but his work rate remains high.

What this means: Barnes is no longer the 12-goal-a-season man he was in 2019–20, but his experience and ability to hold up play make him a tactical asset for manager Scott Parker as Burnley chase an immediate return to the Premier League.

How old is Ashley Barnes?

Age and career longevity

Born 30 October 1989, Ashley Barnes is 35 years old as of 2025. He turned professional relatively late, spending three seasons in non-league with Paulton Rovers before joining Brighton & Hove Albion in 2010. Despite a late start, his durability has been impressive — he has made 207 Premier League appearances and over 500 career matches according to Transfermarkt’s career stats (539 matches, 119 goals, 40 assists). His age and experience are assets for Burnley’s promotion push, providing a physical, no-nonsense presence up front.

• Non-league: 2007–2010 (Paulton Rovers)
• Brighton & Hove Albion: 2010–2014 (with loan spells)
• Burnley: January 2014 – present

The trade-off: at 35, his pace has declined, but his aerial ability and hold-up play have kept him relevant.

What are Ashley Barnes’s career stats?

Premier League and overall numbers

Transfermarkt’s competition split shows Barnes has made 207 Premier League appearances for Burnley, scoring 42 goals and providing 6 assists. His best goal tally in a single season was 12 in the 2019–20 Premier League campaign. Across all competitions for Burnley, he has 275+ appearances and 58 goals. His overall career — including Brighton, loan spells, and non-league — exceeds 500 matches.

The numbers show a remarkably consistent output across top-flight and second-tier football.

The pattern: Barnes’s goal-per-game ratio in the Championship (0.19) is nearly identical to his Premier League rate (0.21), demonstrating that his physical style translates well at both levels.

Ashley Barnes career timeline

• 30 Oct 1989 – Born in Bath, England.
• 2007–2010 – Played non-league football for Paulton Rovers.
• 2010–2014 – Joined Brighton & Hove Albion; loan spells at Eastbourne Borough and Yeovil Town.
• 10 Jan 2014 – Signed for Burnley on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
• 2014–2016 – Helped Burnley win promotion to Premier League in 2015–16.
• 2019–2020 – Scored career-high 12 Premier League goals.
• 2022–2023 – Remained with Burnley after relegation to Championship.
• 2024–2025 – Continues as a key striker for Burnley in the Championship.

What we know — and what we don’t

Confirmed facts

• Born 30 Oct 1989 in Bath, England.
• Holds Austrian nationality through his mother.
• Plays for Burnley as striker.
• Scored 42 Premier League goals.

What’s unclear

• Exact salary – not publicly disclosed.
• Father’s identity – no verifiable source.
• Whether he will retire at Burnley.

What the people around him say

“Burnley has been my home for over a decade. The fans, the staff, the club – it’s where I belong.”

Ashley Barnes, in a club interview with Burnley FC

“He gives everything every game. That’s all you can ask. He’s a proper old-school striker with a modern work rate.”

Sean Dyche, former Burnley manager

Barnes’s journey from non-league Paulton Rovers to 200+ Premier League games is a story of resilience and physical commitment. For Burnley fans watching the 2024–25 Championship campaign, his presence offers a familiar, reliable option — the kind of player who knows exactly when to hold up the ball, draw a foul, or bundle a scrappy goal over the line. His contract extension option means he could stay beyond June 2025. For a club rebuilding after relegation, keeping a veteran who bleeds claret and blue is a no-brainer. Letting him walk would leave a gap in experience that no young signing could instantly fill.

Related reading: **Beth Mead: Biography, Partner, Injury, and Career Stats**

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