Everton FC is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club was founded in 1878 and has competed in the top division of English football for a record 110 seasons. Everton has won 9 league championships, 5 FA Cups, and one European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Even though they’ve won the English Premier League once, they’ve had their fair share of exceptional players, and we’ll compile a list of the 11 best Everton FC players of all time.
11 Best Everton FC Players of All Time In 2022
1. Dixie Dean
| Number of appearances | Number of goals | Number of assists |
| 433 appearances | 383 goals | N/A |
Positioned played: Centre-Forward
Years played: 1925 – 1937
Dixie was originally a fan of Everton FC before he could play professional soccer with them. His time at Goodison Park was incredibly successful. In fact, the record he set during his playing time hasn’t been broken by any Everton FC player.
He is the only Everton player to have scored 60 goals in a season, and the most fascinating thing about this is that he did it when he was 21 years old. He had 433 appearances across all competitions while scoring 383 goals.
In his first season at Everton, they won their first division title and numerous trophies afterward.
Unfortunately, they got relegated during the 1931 season, but Dixie stayed with Everton and was instrumental in getting them out of relegation the following year. This act makes them the fastest English team to get out of relegation.
2. Graeme Sharp
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 322 appearances | 111 goals | 7 assists |
Position played: Center Forward
Years played: 1980 – 1991
Graeme sharp played professional soccer with Everton for up to 2 decades. He made over 300 appearances during his 11-year stay at Everton FC and scored 111 goals. He was also part of the team that helped Everton win the FA cup in 1984, the European trophy in 1985, and the English championship in 85 and 87.
Sharp was a prolific striker who could score with both feet, making him the highest goal scorer after Dixie.
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3. Neville Southhall
| Number of games played | Number of goals conceded | Number of clean sheets |
| 578 appearances | 677 conceded | 269 clean sheets |
Position played: Goalkeeper
Years played: 1981 – 1998
Neville was one of the goalkeepers Everton has ever had. He played for 13 seasons at Everton FC. However, he spent four of the 13 seasons at Everton on loans to various teams.
He had an appearance of 578 for Everton while keeping a clean sheet of 269. He also has the highest number of clean sheets made by an Everton goalkeeper.
4. Edgar Chadwick
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 270 appearances | 97 goals | N/A |
Position played: Second Striker
Years Played: 1888 – 1899
Chadwick played for 11 seasons for Everton FC, scoring 97 goals, and making an appearance of 270.
He is considered a legend because of his prolific style of play and the way he scores goals. He was the first player to start tricking goalkeepers outside before firing the shot over their heads.
He was instrumental in the team that won the football league championship in the 1890 season.
5. Leighton Baines
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 348 appearances | 29 goals | 66 assists |
Position played: Left Back
Years played: 2007 – 2020
Leighton was initially playing for Everton’s youth academy before he went to Wigan athletic. After spending 5 seasons with Wigan Athletic, he played and spent the rest of his professional career at Everton FC.
He spent 13 seasons at Everton, scoring 29 goals while making an appearance of 348. He is actually regarded as a center-back, but he can also play as a left-back.
He is known to score goals from set pieces and penalty kicks, one of which was named Everton goal of the season. Leighton was also prolific at giving assists to his teammates.
6. Bob Latchford
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 236 appearances | 106 goals | 1 assist |
Position played: Center Forward
Years played: 1974 – 1981
Bob Latchford has the least appearances on this list, but he has the highest goals considering his appearances. He played for 9 different teams.
For 6 seasons in a row, Latchford scored more goals than any Everton player ever did. In the 1977 season, he won a certain amount of money for scoring 30 goals in a single season.
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7. Alan Ball Jr.
| Number of games scored | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 208 appearances | 66 goals | 1 assist |
Position played: Central Midfield
Years played: 1966 – 1971
Allan played for 5 seasons at Everton before transferring to another team. He was the youngest Everton player to play for England’s national team.
He had an overall 208 appearances across all competitions while scoring 66 goals. He was also instrumental in winning the 1970 football league championship and also getting Everton FC to the finals of the FA cup in 1968, even though they didn’t win it.
8. Kevin Sheedy
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 208 appearances | 66 goals | 11 assists |
Position played: Left Midfield
Years played: 1982 – 1992
Kevin Sheedy was an Everton player from 1982 to 1992, scoring 67 goals while making an appearance in 274 games. He was an integral player of Everton’s FA Cup-winning team in 1984.
He was also instrumental in Everton winning the title in 1985 and 1987. He also scored in the European cup final in 1985.
Most of Sheedy’s goals came from free kicks. His name was also included in the PFA team of the year in the 1985 and 1987 seasons.
9. Gary Lineker
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 57 appearances | 40 goals | 2 assists |
Position played: center-forward
Years played: 1985 – 1986
Lineker only spent a season at Everton FC before he moved to another team. However, despite the short time he spent at Everton, his records were impressive. He had 40 goals with an appearance in 57 games.
During his time at Everton, he had three hat tricks against top team Manchester City, Birmingham City, and Southampton in just a season. In his final match, he also scored a brace against West Ham United.
Even after he left Everton, he was still the highest goal scorer of the team he went to, making him the only player in history to be the highest goal scorer in three different teams.
10. Kevin Ratcliffe
( Photo by Alain de Martignac / Onze / Icon Sport )
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 359 appearances | 2 goal | 1 assist |
Position played: center back
Years played: 1980 – 1992
Kevin Ratcliffe is arguably one of the best defenders to have played at Everton FC. He was famous for his defending tactics, which included tough tackling and sliding.
He was a product of Everton’s youth academy, and by the age of 22, he was already among Everton’s first 11. At the age of 23, the manager at the time appointed him as the captain of the whole team.
Ratcliffe was the captain of the club’s most successful era, winning literally all the trophies.
11. Brian Labone
| Number of games played | Number of goals scored | Number of assists |
| 462 appearances | 2 goals | 0 |
Position played: central defense
Years played: 1957 – 1971
Labone was one of the youngest players to play for Everton. He joined at the age of 17 and was quick to establish himself in the team.
He was often tagged as one of the best central defenders of his era. He was known for his strong tackling techniques, fast pace, and aerial abilities. During his time at Everton, he was their captain for 26 games.
He made an appearance in 462 games while scoring just 2 goals, which isn’t surprising considering he’s a defender. Unfortunately, an injury caused his retirement to his Achilles tendon.
He is one of the greatest to ever play as a defender for Everton FC.
Conclusion
Everton FC has been home to some of the best footballers and managers in the world over the years.
There is no doubt that Everton FC has one of the strongest squads in recent memory. From legendary striker Dixie Dean to Brian Labone, these are the men who have graced Goodison Park and left their mark forever on the club. It’s easy to see why they are considered one of the best teams in the Premier League.
With that in mind, we’ve looked at some of the best players in the club’s history and put together a list of the 11 best Everton FC players of all time.