As a player, he played as a midfielder spending nearly his entire career in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, Everton, Liverpool and Leeds United.

Growing up on the west side of Hull, Barmby played for local teams Springhead and National Tigers as a boy showing talent from a very early age.

[citation needed] His father, Jeff Barmby, was also a player in his younger days and became his son's advisor and agent as his skills began to attract the attention of various clubs.

His first game for Tottenham was against Hull City at Boothferry Park in a testimonial match for Garreth Roberts, and he scored two goals.

[4] Having turned professional in April 1991 under the management of Terry Venables, he made his competitive debut against Sheffield Wednesday[4] on 27 September 1992 in the FA Premier League, and established himself as a regular player that season, when still only 18 years old.

[5] During his time at the club he became one of Ossie Ardiles' five-man attack, along with Jürgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton and Ilie Dumitrescu.

[10] After nearly four years at Everton, during which Barmby played 114 league games and scored 18 goals, he headed across Stanley Park to Liverpool for a fee of £6 million on 19 July 2000.

[11] Manchester United also expressed an interest in signing Barmby to cover for their missing players at the start of the 2000–01 season, but they were eventually outbid.

[18] However after persistent injury and lack of form blighted his second season at the club,[19][20] Barmby was sold to Leeds United in August 2002 for a fee of £2.75 million, where he linked up with Terry Venables, his first manager at Tottenham.

[23] He spent a loan spell at Nottingham Forest during the 2003–04 season,[24] scoring once against Gillingham,[25] before moving to his hometown club, Hull City.

[26] In 2004, Barmby returned to his hometown team Hull City on a free transfer following Leeds's relegation from the top flight.

[27] Barmby earned his first cap for England on 29 March 1995, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute in the 0–0 friendly draw against Uruguay at Wembley Stadium.

[42] Barmby made substitute appearances in the games against Germany and Romania as England were eliminated in the group stages.

[51] On 29 March 2019, Scunthorpe United announced that Barmby would join former Hull City teammate Andy Dawson as a coach.