Alan Ball, Dixie Dean, Leighton Baines – Top 10 Everton legends every fan should know
Everton have enjoyed the presence of many legends throughout their 147-year history.
Iconic names of the teams to win nine First Division league titles, five FA Cups, and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup make up many of those legends, but more recent figures have been remembered for their loyalty and commitment.
Among them, David Moyes – who rebuilt Everton in the noughties, before returning in 2025 and leading the Toffees away from trouble once again.
Here, Goodison News takes a look at 10 legends that every Everton fan should know.
Alan Ball – Midfielder – 1966-72
Appearances: 251
Goals: 79
Alan Ball will be remembered among Everton and England’s finest midfielders.
Joining from Blackpool in 1966 after winning the World Cup, Ball’s £110,000 price tag was the record for a British football player at the time.
He would go on to win the 1969/70 First Division with Everton, before leaving to join Arsenal in 1971. Ball would sadly pass away aged 61 in 2007, after suffering a heart attack at his home in Hampshire.
Part of the ‘Holy Trinity’, he was commemorated in bronze outside Goodison Park.
William ‘Dixie’ Dean – Forward – 1925-37
Appearances: 433
Goals: 383
For many, Dixie Dean is the greatest goal-scorer ever to be witnessed in Britain, but he is undeniably the most iconic player in Everton history.
Dean joined the Toffees from Tranmere Rovers in 1925, and would score 32 league goals in his first full season in blue.
The striker would end his career having claimed every record possible, with the most revered being his 60 league goals in the 1927-28 – a record that still stands today, and likely always will.
Dean died at Goodison Park whilst watching the Merseyside derby in 1980, and now stands cast in bronze outside the stadium.
Neville Southall – Goalkeeper – 1981-1998
Appearances: 750
Neville Southall is undoubtedly the greatest Everton goalkeeper of all time, despite some recent competition from Jordan Pickford.
The Toffees’ record appearance maker, Southall won the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1985.
He would continue to play into his 40s, playing a Premier League match for Bradford City at the age of 41.
- Read more: Why do Everton play in royal blue home kits?
Howard Kendall – Midfielder – 1967-1974
Appearances: 272
Goals: 29
Howard Kendall is remembered by many for his managerial career at Everton, but his playing career was incredible, too.
The midfielder would win the First Division in 1970, before leaving to join Birmingham City in 1974.
It would be 1981 when he re-joined as a player manager, later retiring from playing to manage Everton to two First Division titles, an FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Brian Labone – Defender – 1958-1971
Appearances: 534
Goals: 2
Brian Labone epitomised everything Everton. The defender made his debut for the Toffees as a 17-year-old and would go on to spend his entire career in blue, hanging up his boots following a serious injury in 1971.
He is remembered among the best defenders of his era, and considered by many as the finest defender in Everton history.
Labone would end his career having won two First Divisions, and an FA Cup. He sadly passed away aged 66 after collapsing in Merseyside.
Kevin Ratcliffe – Defender – 1980-1992
Appearances: 493
Goals: 2
Everton’s most successful captain ever, Kevin Ratcliffe arrived as a boy and would go on to lift the trophies won by the iconic 80s Toffees.
Ratcliffe was known as a tough-tackling force in the centre of defence – not a technical presence, but one who would deal with everything in front of him.
After leaving Everton, he would enjoy brief stints at several clubs before trying his hand at management. He now works for BBC Wales Sport.
Duncan Ferguson – Forward – 1994-1998 – 2000-2006
Appearances: 273
Goals: 72
Duncan Ferguson earned himself a reputation for two things – superb goal-scoring, and merciless red cards.
Kicks, elbows, shoulders and punches, nothing was off the table when it came to Ferguson. He even served over a month in jail for his 1994 headbutt on Raith Rovers defender John McStay.
But he is remembered by Everton for his ability to put the ball in the back of net too, helping the Toffees to their last trophy, the 1995 FA Cup.
He would take over as interim manager at Goodison Park in 2019 and 2022, lifting Everton out of the relegation zone in the first instance.
Kevin Sheedy – Forward – 1982-1992
Appearances: 369
Goals: 97
Kevin Sheedy remains among the most successful footballers ever to walk the rarely-trodden path between Liverpool and Everton.
The winger arrived at Goodison Park from Anfield in 1982 and would go on to win the First Division twice along with the mid-to-late 80s crop.
He would play for Newcastle United and Blackpool following his departure, before retiring in 1994.
Bob Latchford – Forward – 1974-1981
Appearances: 289
Goals: 138
Among the best goal-scorers of his era, Bob Latchford joined Everton from Birmingham City in 1974 for £350,000, a British transfer record.
He would go on to top the scoring charts at Goodison Park for six consecutive seasons, even winning a £10,000 prize offered by a national newspaper in 1978 for a footballer able to score 30 goals in a season.
Unfortunately, Latchford left Everton having never lifted a trophy, but he is fondly remembered among the club’s best ever strikers.
Leighton Baines – Defender – 2007-2020
Appearances: 420
Goals: 39
The most recent player to feature on this list, Leighton Baines, joined Everton from Wigan Athletic in a deal worth around £6million in 2007.
In his prime, Baines was among the best left-backs in the country, earning himself a reputation for his magical left foot. In 2013, he scored two free-kicks in one game, as Everton beat West Ham.
The defender announced his retirement in 2020 and won his first and only game as interim manager of Everton in January 2025. He remains at the club as an assistant manager.
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