Best Everton players of all time

We take a look at the best Everton players of all time.Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect those of the website.

#1 Dixie Dean

Many of you may not be familiar with this name but you must know that William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean is considered as one of the most iconic names to play for Everton and England.

The legendary striker played for Everton between 1925 to 1937 and still holds the record for being the club’s all time top scorer. To date he is the only player to score 60 goals in a season.

Dean helped the Toffees win two League Championships, one Second Division, one FA Cup and two Charity Shields. The legend is still held in high regard among the Everton faithful and besides being immortalized in stone outside Goodison Park, Dean was also one of the first footballers to be inducted into the inaugural English Football Hall Of Fame back in 2002.

#2 Neville Southall

Undoubtedly one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, Neville Southall will always be considered as one of Everton’s best ever players.

The legendary shot stopper was signed by iconic Everton manager Howard Kendall for £150,000 which proved to be a bargain as Southall soon rivalled Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton for the title of the best goalkeeper in England. The Welshman was an integral part of Everton in their glory days which saw them win two First Division titles, two FA Cups, four Community Shields and one League Cup.

Southall also picked up loads of personal awards for his goalkeeping skills which included him being included in the PFA Team Of The Year four consecutive times along with being named as one of the greatest players of the 20th Century by World Soccer.

Tim Howard may be a good keeper but Southall was a phenomenon.

#3 Kevin Ratcliffe

Another player who was extremely important for Everton during their domination in the ‘80s was Kevin Ratcliffe.

The Welshman was a product of Everton’s distinguished youth academy. And by the age of 22, he had already firmly established himself in the Toffees’ first team.

The defender became the captain of Everton at the tender age of 23 and guided them to two First Division titles, one FA Cup and one European Cup Winners Cup which was their most successful spell in their history.

The Welshman was known for his superb defending skills which included some tough tackling and helped him gain a reputation as a hard man. It can be safely said that Ratcliffe was considered as Everton’s best left-back until Leighton Baines came along.

#4 Gary Lineker

The iconic striker spent just one season with Everton but left a lasting impression at Goodison Park and is still loved and respected by the club’s fans.

Lineker arrived at Everton, who were the English champions at that time, after being crowned as the First Divisions top scorer while at Leicester City. The Englishman took no time to make his mark at the club and fired 30 goals in 41 appearances which helped the Toffees lift the FA Cup.

His Golden Boot winning performance in the 1986 World Cup attracted the attention of Barcelona who signed the striker soon after making the 1985-86 season Lineker’s only spell at the club.

Everton are yet to find a striker with as much pace and clinical finishing abilities as Lineker.

#5 Alan Ball

The Englishman won just one major honour during his time with the Toffees but his impact was so immense that he was considered as one of his generation’s best midfielders along with Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall who were referred to as Everton’s ‘Holy Trinity’.

Ball, who was the youngest member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad, scored 66 goals in 208 appearances for the Toffees which helped him gain a reputation as one of his country’s best midfielders.

The late Englishman then moved to Arsenal for a record fee of £220,000 but is still highly respected at Goodison Park.