Everton is often regarded as one of the most successful clubs in England. They have a substantial following, as well as a long and illustrious history. Throughout its existence, the club has been home to the careers of a vast number of talented footballers. Even to this very day, the club is still bringing up exciting new players to the top English league. If you don’t already know, the club is managed by a legendary ex-England midfielder Frank Lampard, he and the team are having a tough yet start in the 2022/2023 Premier League season but as always, the club will bounce back and start climbing through the ranks. Everton is a team that is unpredictable against the top elite clubs, this is most likely why the premier league markets offer fantastic selections and odds for them. Nevertheless, in this article, we will be looking at five of the greatest Everton players in the club’s history.

Kevin Ratcliffe

After Everton’s victory against Watford in the FA Cup final in 1984, Kevin Ratcliffe became the youngest captain to raise the trophy since Bobby Moore. Moore was the previous holder of this distinction.

Before moving on to play for Dundee and Nottingham Forest for brief periods, Ratcliffe spent most of his career at Everton, where he rose through the ranks of the youth programme and eventually made it to the first team.

After establishing himself as a member of the first team, he was promoted to the position of captain within a year, and under his leadership, the club was victorious in many important competitions, including the First Division championship, the FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker’s short-term success with the Everton Football Club will live on in club lore despite the fact that he was only employed by the club for a single season.

Lineker moved to Everton in 1985 after spending his formative years at Leicester City. In his first and only season at Goodison Park, he scored 40 goals across all competitions, 30 goals within the Premier League, and out of all of them goals, it includes three hat tricks. Due to Lineker’s brilliance on the pitch, he went on to have a good run with England in the World Cup.

Bob Latchford

Bob Latchford was purchased from Birmingham in 1974 for a record sum of £350,000; nonetheless, it took him a few years to establish himself as a key member of the club’s squad.

During the 1977–1978 season, he led the team in league scoring with 30 goals scored (an achievement since equalled by Gary Lineker) as mentioned above. However, what really makes this statistic stand out is the tale that goes along with each of the goals.

If Latchford finished the season with 30 goals, a major publication was prepared to pay him £10,000 to write an article about it. In the last match in the league against Chelsea, he needed two goals to reach his total of 30. Latchford proceeded to score two goals in rapid succession. He did receive the 10k and with that, he kept a little amount to himself and distributed the money to his colleagues and some charities.

Leighton Baines

Baines is widely considered to be one of the finest Everton defenders of all time. He was a member of the team for a total of 13 years. Leighton Baines moved to Everton from Wigan in 2007 for a transfer price that was close to six million pounds. He was a reliable left back who excelled at set pieces and was often called upon to take penalties.

Everton fans have recognised him as the club’s best seasonal player not once, but twice in the 2010–2011 and 2012–2013 seasons making him one of the most valuable players on the team throughout his time there. Additionally, in both 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, he was selected for the PFA Team of the Year.

Kevin Sheedy

Everton was privileged to have Kevin Sheedy on their team from 1982 to 1992; during that period, he scored 97 goals in 368 matches. Everton’s squad that won the FA Cup in 1984 included him prominently, and the victory was due in large part to his efforts. 

Sheedy was the player that led the English football league in terms of the number of goals scored from free kicks throughout the decade of the 1980s. He was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year in both the 1985 and 1987 seasons, during which Everton won the Premier League title.

Comments are closed.