10 Best Everton Players Ever | Greatest Legends
5. Brian Labone
The epitome of a one-club man, Labone joined Everton at 17 in July 1957 and quickly became regarded as one of the best central defenders of his era, known for his strong tackling, speed, and ability in the air. He played 23 years for Everton in the period 1958-1971.
After Labone sadly passed away, former Everton captain, Kevin Ratcliffe, made the following tribute: “Brian was Everton. If you could put together a team of every player that has ever captained Everton, every one of us would turn to Brian to lead us out. He will always be known as the captain of Everton.”
4. 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 78 goals in 250 appearances for the Toffees which helped him gain a reputation as one of his country’s best midfielders.
3. Kevin Ratcliffe
One of the best Everton players ever, Kevin Ratcliffe was known for his superb defending skills which included some tough tackling and helped him gain a reputation as a hard man.
The Welshman international 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.
He was made Everton captain by Howard Kendall in 1983 at the tender age of 23. Whilst captain, Ratcliffe led Everton to one of their most successful spells in the club’s history, winning the 1984 FA Cup Final, the League Championship in 1984–85 and1986–87 and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup 1984–85.