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Top 10 Best Everton Players of All Time

One of the founding members of the English Football League, Everton has produced its fair share of legends since its founding in 1878. The Liverpool-based club has been stuck in a bit of a rut in the past decades, but the club has always managed to stay competitive throughout its history. Read on to learn more about the top 10 best Everton players of all time.

Who Are the Best Everton Soccer Players of All Time?

Dixie Dean
Neville Southall
Graeme Sharp
Bob Latchford
Kevin Ratcliffe
Alan Ball
Howard Kendall
Brian Labone
Gary Lineker
Leighton Baines

1. Dixie Dean

Most goals in the English Top Flight season (60)
All-time Everton leading goalscorer (383)
FA Cup winner

Dixie Dean is the greatest Everton player of all time. To call Dean a goal-scoring machine would be a severe understatement. In his fourth season at Everton, Dean scored 60 goals in 39 Football League First Division games. That was and still is the record for most goals scored in an English Top Flight season. The next closest total is 44, scored by Dixie Dean just four years later in the 1931-32 season. Dean compiled an incredible eight straight seasons in which he scored at least 25 league goals.

In addition to these accomplishments, Dean’s Everton side won the First Division twice and the FA Cup once. Unsurprisingly, Dean is still Everton’s all-time leading goalscorer with 383 goals in 433 appearances for the club. No one has yet come close to breaking his 60-goal mark, and it’s unlikely that anyone ever will.

2. Neville Southall

1985 Footballer of the Year
Most Everton league appearances (578)
Most Everton clean sheets (269)

One of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, Neville Southall was brought to Everton in 1981 by manager Howie Kendall for a £150,000 transfer fee. Over the next 17 years, Southall became the greatest shot-stopper in Everton’s history. Southall was a member of the 1985 team which brought the club its first European trophy with a 3-1 victory over Rapid Wien in the UEFA European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.

The Welshman won two First Division trophies with the club, two FA Cups, and three FA Charity Shields. He was named to the PFA Team of the Year for a string of four straight seasons during the late 1980s. Southall was the last goalkeeper to be named the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1985. By the time he left Everton in 1998, he led the club in all-time appearances and clean sheets.

3. Graeme Sharp

Four-time Everton Top Goalscorer
Two-time First Division winner
1984 FA Cup winner

A terrific playmaking forward, Graeme Sharp was another member of the successful Everton team of the late 1980s. While Neville Southall was in Everton’s net blocking goals, Sharp was across the pitch scoring them. Sharp helped Everton win two league titles and was instrumental in the club’s 1984 FA Cup victory over Watford by scoring the opening goal in the 2-0 win.

The 6’1” Scot led Everton in goal scoring in four different seasons, and won Goal of the Season for his 1984 volley against Merseyside rivals, Liverpool F.C. Sharp was named to the PFA Team of the Year in 1987. He left Everton in 1991 after 11 years with the Blues, parting as the club’s second-highest goalscorer of all-time with 160 goals across all competitions. Sharp went on to conclude his career at Oldham Athletic but is still chiefly remembered for his success with Everton.

4. Bob Latchford

138 goals (3rd highest all-time)
19 League Cup Goals (Everton All-Time Leader)
1978 First Division Top Goalscorer

Bob Latchford was Everton’s premier goalscorer throughout the 1970s. Latchford signed for Everton for a British transfer fee record of £350,000. The signing soon paid dividends, and Latchford averaged almost a goal every two games during his seven-year stint with the Toffees. For six of those seven years, Latchford was Everton’s top goalscorer.

A prolific individual player, Latchford was somewhat let down by the team he was on, and never won any silverware during his time at Everton. He did, however, set several records and has gone down in history as one of Everton’s best scorers. In addition to still being Everton’s all-time leading League Cup goalscorer with 19 goals, Latchford left Everton as the club’s leading goalscorer of the post-war era but was soon surpassed by Graeme Sharp.

5. Kevin Ratcliffe

Two-time First Division winner
FA Cup winner
493 Appearances (5th most all-time)

An aggressive player and stout defender, Kevin Ratcliffe earned a reputation as one of the game’s more physical footballers during his time at Everton. Ratcliffe was a product of Everton’s youth squad, making his debut for the senior team in 1980. Three years later, Ratcliffe was given the honor of wearing the captain’s armband at the age of 23. The young Welshman led his team to two First Division titles, an FA Cup Final victory, and a win in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Finals.

During his 12 years at Everton, Ratcliffe made 493 appearances for Everton, putting himself at fifth all-time across all competitions. He scored two goals in those 12 years, with one being a belter against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby. Ratcliffe left Everton in 1992 for Dundee and retired from the game altogether in 1995.

6. Alan Ball

First Division winner
FA Charity Shield winner
FA Cup finalist

Remembered primarily for his role on the victorious 1966 English World Cup squad, Alan Ball was also a terrific midfielder for Everton. It was his performance on the international stage that brought him to Merseyside. Ball signed to Everton for a then-record £112,000 transfer fee and became an integral part of the midfield. Ball and his teammates Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall were collectively known as “The Holy Trinity” for their grace and talent on the pitch.

Ball played at Everton for five years, and during that time he won the First Division and made numerous runs deep into the FA Cup tournament with the Blues. By 1971, he had appeared in 259 games for Everton with a total of 79 goals for the club. That year, he was sold for a record fee of £220,000 to Arsenal but left his mark on Everton forever.

7. Howard Kendall

First Division winner
FA Charity Shield winner
FA Cup finalist

A great player and an even better manager, Howard Kendall is an Everton hero with achievements spanning several decades with the club. Another member of the “Holy Trinity” midfield, Kendall was nearly signed by Everton rival Liverpool F.C. but eventually was brought on to Goodison Park in 1967. Kendall soon established himself as a crucial player and leader on the team and was awarded the captain’s armband in 1972, an honor he retained until he left the club in 1974.

During his time at Everton, Kendall won the First Division and the FA Charity Shield, in addition to finishing as runner-up in the FA Cup Final. He left the club for Birmingham City in 1974, before returning as a player-manager in 1981. It was in his role as a manager that he truly left his mark on the club and brought Everton numerous pieces of domestic and European silverware.

8. Brian Labone

Two-time First Division winner
FA Cup winner
534 Appearances (2nd most all-time)

Brian Labone was and still is an Everton legend. The local talent chose Everton at just 17 years old and played for the club for the next 14 years. By the time he left the club and the sport of football altogether, he was Everton’s leader in appearances across all competitions with 534.

Labone was a strong defender and was a true force on the pitch, helping the club win two First Division titles and also leading Everton to an FA Cup win in 1966 against Sheffield Wednesday. Labone also won two FA Charity Shields with the club in 1963 and 1970. In 2003, Labone was included in the fan-voted list of Everton’s greatest team. He played his entire career with Everton and was well-loved by fans and teammates alike.

9. Gary Lineker

1986 Ballon d’Or runner up
1986 FWA Footballer of the Year
1986 First Division Top Goalscorer

Although he spent just one year at Everton, Lineker’s performance for the Blues in the 1985-1986 season merits a spot on this list. Lineker was brought to the defending league champions in 1985 and did much more than what was expected from him. Lineker scored a total of 40 goals in 57 appearances with Everton that year, a performance which earned him second place in Ballon d’Or voting. One award that he didn’t finish runner-up in was FWA Footballer of the Year, the award given to the player with the best season in English football.

At the end of the year, Lineker moved on to play for FC Barcelona and was a tremendous player for the English national team during his career as well. Everton only received a short glimpse of his talent, but what a glimpse it was.

10. Leighton Baines

Two-time Everton Player of the Season
Two-time PFA Team of the Year selection
FA Cup finalist

Reliable and a team player, Leighton Baines was a cornerstone of Everton for 13 years before his retirement in 2020. Baines was one of the best crossers in the Premier League during his day and brought much-needed stability and a cool presence to the team. Baines moved to Everton from Wigan Athletic in 2007 and took a while to settle into the first team consistently. He soon broke through, though, and was voted Everton Player of the Season twice during his career. He was also a clutch player, becoming Everton’s all-time leader in penalty kick goals in the Premier League.

Although Baines never won any silverware with Everton, he was a fan favorite and was truly committed to the club. After retiring in 2020, Baines was named professional development coach at Everton’s Academy.