Leighton John Baines is an English footballer who plays for Everton and the England national football team. Baines began his career as a left-winger at the Liverpool Centre of Excellence and made his debut for Wigan Athletic in 2002, and was a member of the team that won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season. Baines scored his first goal for the club, a long-range shot against Ipswich Town, during the 2004–05 season. Baines signed a new contract with Wigan in February 2005 and extended his contract again after impressive displays in his first season in the Premier League. In August 2007, he signed for Everton for an initial fee of £5 million, with another £1 million in add-ons, dependant on Baines' appearances for Everton. He was voted Player of the Month at Everton two months in a row in the 2008–09 season. On 30 August 2009, he scored a last minute penalty in a 2–1 win over his former team Wigan. A month later, he captained Everton for the first time in a UEFA Europa League match against AEK Athens. In the 2010–11 campaign, Baines scored seven goals in Everton's Premier League games and was rewarded with the club's Player of the Season, Players' Player of the Season, and Goal of the Season awards. He made his debut for the England under-21's in a 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification game in Austria in September 2004. Baines made his competitive international debut on 4 June 2011, replacing the injured Ashley Cole in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland.
