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2019/20 Leighton Baines.

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I'm sure Leighton Baines will get the send off he deserves when fans are finally let back into Goodison.

The lad has been absolute top quality for our club over the last 13 years and his contribution will never be forgotten. Just a shame he didn't win a trophy with us, he richly deserved one.

His career at Goodison has spanned three decades (2000s,2010s,2020s) and in an era when many players move around for a signing fee, not many players can say they've stayed to a club into a third decade.

Enjoy whatever you do next Leighton.
 
alwaysblue said:
He must be ashamed of some of the spineless scrotes that share his changing room now
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Definitely True and I absolutely love the fella but he should have been able to use his influence and experience to get those slackers to up their games the past years, but he allowed himself to be brushed off penalties and free kicks and very likely didn't open his mouth when players were badly letting the club down. It's the reason why he wasn't made permanent captain at any time. Still, best left back I've ever seen at the club and his record speaks for itself. I'd love him to stick around at the club, but I doubt he'll stay in football.
 

Probably the saddest thing is that a player who has spent thirteen years at our club bows out without a medal.

Deserved so much more, not just at Everton but also at a national level. Along with several others he was a scapegoat for England's Brazil 2014 World Cup disaster, and, Ashley Cole aside, there were infinitely less talented English left-backs that made the national squad before him over the course of a decade (thinking Stephen Warnock W/C 2010, Danny Rose and Ryan Bertrand at Euro 2016).

There was a 3-4 year period from about 2010-2014 when he was one of the best left-backs in the world, not just the Premier League.
 
LinekersLegs said:
Love him - just class personified and really, really going to miss him.

Have to admit am selfishly pleased I don't have to see him another team's shirt.
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Says much about the man that when Man U (and Moyes) came calling in the summer of 2013 he seemingly made absolutely zero fuss about it, no agitation. At that stage he was 28 years of age, going on 29, and within himself he must have known that moving to United would have been his best chance of getting a medal.
 
Toffee in Jandals said:
Says much about the man that when Man U (and Moyes) came calling in the summer of 2013 he seemingly made absolutely zero fuss about it, no agitation. At that stage he was 28 years of age, going on 29, and within himself he must have known that moving to United would have been his best chance of getting a medal.
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Yup speaks volumes about him. Deserved to be in a side challenging for trophies and would certainly have had more international caps with that move but we rejected the deal and he didn't open his mouth once. Absolute top class Blue. And now, could literally have sat on his arse for an extra season and taken another million or two off us but decided he doesn't need it and wants out of the game, fair enough and well played Leighton.
 

Toffee in Jandals said:
Says much about the man that when Man U (and Moyes) came calling in the summer of 2013 he seemingly made absolutely zero fuss about it, no agitation. At that stage he was 28 years of age, going on 29, and within himself he must have known that moving to United would have been his best chance of getting a medal.
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I agree with part of this. Baines was a great LB and rightly lauded by Man Utd at the time. However, he doesn't strike me as someone who wanted a load of medals with tons of ambition. Wasn't there an issue once with England where he didn't want to be considered for selection? I think the fact he didn't push for the move to Man Utd was to suit himself, not Everton. He's obviously a very professional guy who was a very good player for us but he didn't refuse a move to Man Utd for the fans. Definitely not. He just didn't want to go.
I think the scenario today actually suited him to go out quietly. It seems to suit him and I dont think he has ever wanted any plaudits. He was sat next to me a while ago in Southport having a meal.I really wish I would have approached him now but he was really pleasant to everyone and seemed such an unassuming guy for a professional footballer.
 
neilsyd said:
I agree with part of this. Baines was a great LB and rightly lauded by Man Utd at the time. However, he doesn't strike me as someone who wanted a load of medals with tons of ambition. Wasn't there an issue once with England where he didn't want to be considered for selection? I think the fact he didn't push for the move to Man Utd was to suit himself, not Everton. He's obviously a very professional guy who was a very good player for us but he didn't refuse a move to Man Utd for the fans. Definitely not. He just didn't want to go.
I think the scenario today actually suited him to go out quietly. It seems to suit him and I dont think he has ever wanted any plaudits. He was sat next to me a while ago in Southport having a meal.I really wish I would have approached him now but he was really pleasant to everyone and seemed such an unassuming guy for a professional footballer.
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I agree totally in that he clearly prefers to be out of the limelight, however I wouldn't confuse that with not having ambition. I can't imagine a lad who puts himself through almost 20 years of professional football isn't hugely competitive, even if personality-wise it doesn't show on the surface.
 

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