Everton Football Club is a historic institution of English football. The club from Merseyside were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888. The Toffees have also spent more time in the English top flight than any other club.
Over the years, Everton has had players who served the club with great loyalty, often for over a decade. These players have contributed to the club’s rich history. Here are the ten players who have made the most appearances for the club in its history:
Neville Southall (751 appearances from 1981–1998)
The former refuge collector became an Everton stalwart for over a decade and a half after joining the Toffees in 1981 from Bury for £150,000. Southall’s heroic displays earned him high praise, with many claiming that the Welshman was one of the best goalkeepers ever.
During his 17-year Everton career, Southall helped his team win the First Division title twice, the FA Cup twice, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1985, which remains the Toffees’ only ever European silverware to date.
Southall made history in 1985 as he became one of a select group of goalkeepers to win the FWA Footballer of the Year. At the time of writing, he is still the only player from his position to win the prestigious award.
He was also named in the English First Division Team of the Year on four occasions. In 1995 after helping the Toffees win the FA Cup, Southall also won the BBC Wales Sports Personality award.
Brian Labone (534 appearances from 1957–1971)
Labone was the epitome of a one-club man. The centre-half joined the Toffees in 1957 before making his first debut the following year. He would go on to represent the men from Merseyside 534 times in all competitions.
Labone led by example and captained the team on many occasions. The defender played a crucial role in Everton’s First Division title wins in 1963 and 1970, as well as picking up an FA Cup winners medal in 1966.
Labone showed his love of Everton by stating, “One Evertonian is worth twenty Liverpudlians”, A quote that further endeared him to Evertonians.
Once he finished playing, Labone remained connected with Everton, working as a guest host and later writing about the Toffees as an online columnist.
Dave Watson (528 appearances from 1986–2001)
Like Southall, Dave Watson became an Everton hero who bridged generations due to the fact that he served the club for so long. Watson started his career with Liverpool but never made it past the reserve ranks before a move to Norwich.
Everton snapped the centre-back up for a fee of £900,000 in 1986. It proved to be a shrewd investment, as Watson remained at the club for 15 years. The highlights of his Everton career were winning the First Division title in 1987 and the FA Cup in 1995.
He also captained Everton through some rocky periods in the 1990s and played for the club on a regular basis until he was 37 years of age.
Ted Sagar (500 appearances from 1929–1953)
The Yorkshireman joined Everton as an apprentice in 1929 and incredibly stayed until 1953. He made his first-team debut in 1930 and went on to win the First Division title on two occasions with the Toffees in 1932 and 1939, as well as picking an FA Cup winners medal in 1933.
Sagar also played for England four times internationally from 1935 until 1936. Neville Southall beat Sagar’s record of most appearances by a goalkeeper for the club in 1994.
Kevin Ratcliffe (494 appearances from 1980–1992)
The Welsh centre-back was an influential figure in Howard Kendall’s great Everton team of the 1980s that shone so brightly for a short time. Ratcliffe joined the Toffees as an apprentice in 1977 and made his debut in 1980.
He served the team and captained the Toffees to the First Division title in 1985 and 1987, as well as the 1984 FA Cup. Ratcliffe is still regarded as one of the best defenders in club history and an Everton legend.
Mick Lyons (472 appearances from 1969–1982)
Lyons is another product of the Everton youth ranks, who served an apprenticeship with the Toffees and signed as a professional in 1970. The defender made his Everton first-team debut in 1971 and served the team with distinction.
Although a defender, Lyons often played as a centre forward late in games if his team needed a goal. He was highly effective in this role and even finished as the Toffees’ top goalscorer one season.
Jack Taylor (456 appearances from 1896–1909)
The versatile Scot joined Everton from St. Mirren in 1896 and represented the club for 14 years. Taylor appeared for the Toffees in a trio of FA Cup finals in 1897, 1906 and 1907. Unfortunately for the Scot, he was only on the winning team once in 1906, as his team beat Newcastle 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Alex ‘Sandy’ Young.
Taylor is one of only six Everton players to have made over 400 appearances in the Football League.
Peter Farrell (453 appearances from 1946–1957)
The inside forward arrived on Merseyside in 1946 from Shamrock Rovers. During his 11 years with the Toffees, he captained the team and helped the Toffees win promotion from the Second Division in 1954.
Farrell also enjoyed an international career with the Republic of Ireland, making his national team debut in 1946 and making 28 appearances at international level.
Graeme Sharp (447 appearances from 1980–1991)
The Scottish forward made himself a hero with the Goodison faithful after joining the Toffees for a fee of £150,000 from Dumbarton in 1980. Sharp’s goals fired Everton to two First Division titles, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winner’s Cup.
Sharp was Everton’s top goalscorer in seasons 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85 and 1987–88. The forward is also second on the list of Everton’s all-time goalscorers, with only the legendary Dixie Dean above him.
Dixie Dean (433 appearances from 1925–1938)
William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean is not just an Everton legend but a legend of the English game. The centre-forward joined the Toffees from local rivals Tranmere Rovers in 1925, and it was a dream move for the then 18-year-old who had grown up as an Evertonian.
Dean scored 32 goals in his debut season with them from Merseyside, and it was just the start of a goal-laden Everton career. The high point of the forward’s career came in season 1927/28, as he scored an incredible 60 league goals. The goal tally remains a record in the English top flight. Dean’s goals inspired the Toffees to win the English First Division title in the same season. The forward became an English champion again in 1932 before scoring in the 1933 FA Cup final, as the Toffees defeated Manchester City 3-0.
Dean is Everton’s all-time record goalscorer in all competitions, while only Arthur Rowley can better Dean’s Football League goal tally of 379.