EVERTON'S GREATEST EVER PLAYER: Dixie Dean was compared to Shakespeare and Beethoven, Ray Wilson won the World Cup and Duncan Ferguson was unstoppable on-song... but who do YOU think is the Toffees' best ever?

By: dailymail Posted On: July 30, 2024 View: 184

Dixie Dean's 60-goal record from the 1927-28 season still stands to this day
Former striker Duncan 'Big Dunc' Ferguson is a fan favourite at Goodison Park
But who do YOU think is the greatest? Vote via our poll below or send your answers over email to: [email protected]

Published: 07:00 EDT, 29 July 2024 | Updated: 06:56 EDT, 30 July 2024

Mail Sport with the help of our readers is on a mission to find the greatest player of all-time at each of the 20 Premier League clubs.

Today it's the turn to look at the legends of Everton from Dixie Dean through to Neville Southall and Duncan Ferguson.

And once you've made up your mind who is all the best-ever, it's time to vote...

As their anthem goes, Everton is a 'grand old team to play for' and no club has spent more years in the top division (121) than one of the league's founder members.

One of the most famous records in English football is the 60 league goals scored by Dixie Dean in the 1927-28 season - and that represented only part of his illustrious career with The Toffees.

Everton legend Dixie Dean once scored 60 goals in a single league season - one of English football's most famous records

Duncan Ferguson is the only player from the modern day to qualify for the shortlist

Everton are currently managed by Sean Dyche who guided the Toffees to Premier League survival despite two different points deductions

Born just across the River Mersey in Birkenhead, Dean scored a record total of 383 goals for Everton, still more than double the amount from any other player, and twice won the league championship.

He died at his beloved Goodison Park in 1980 watching the derby against Liverpool. Legendary Reds manager Bill Shankly compared Dean's influence on football to Shakespeare and Beethoven in their fields.

Tommy Lawton might have produced similar figures in front of goal but after becoming the First Division's top scorer in 1938 and 1939, the Second World War interrupted his career and he joined Chelsea when football resumed in 1945.

The late Everton chairman Bill Kenwright's big hero watching the club growing up was Dave Hickson.

Another swashbuckling centre-forward, Hickson was lucky to have played under Dean for the Cheshire Army Cadets team and went on to become a hugely popular figure with the Gwladys Street End during two spells in the 1950s.

England's 1966 World Cup winners featured an Evertonian in left-back Ray Wilson. In fact, he enjoyed two major triumphs at Wembley in just over two months, having also helped Everton win the FA Cup in May with a 3-2 victory against Sheffield Wednesday.

Centre-half that day was Brian Labone who would have also been in Sir Alf Ramsey's England squad but withdrew because he'd already booked a wedding date with his fiance.

Labone did play in the 1970 World Cup having just captained Everton to the league championship that season.

Dean died watching the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park

Ray Wilson was a World Cup winner with England back in 1966 after winning the FA Cup a few weeks earlier against Sheffield Wednesday

Tommy Lawton became the First Division's top scorer in 1938 and 1939 before the Second World War disrupted his career

That team under Harry Catterick was dubbed the School of Science with Alan Ball part of a classy midfield triumvirate with future Everton managers Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey.

Ball signed for Everton from Blackpool a month after winning the World Cup and when the club sold him onto Arsenal in 1971, they received a British transfer record of £220,000.

The 1970s were a relatively lean period for Everton but Bob Latchford became a national figure by scoring 30 league goals in 1977-78 – the first striker to do so for six seasons as football became more defensive.

Even more impressive was that he only started to take penalties in the run-in as he chased the milestone. 'It had never occurred to me before. I must have been mad!' says the powerful No9 who justified the British record £350,000 Everton had paid for him.

The 1980s were a golden period with Howard Kendall leading Everton to two league championships, the FA Cup and European Cup-Winners' Cup in three years.

His goalkeeper Neville Southall was regarded as the best in the world even though he never played in a major international tournament for Wales.

Southall played a record 751 times for Everton including the 1995 FA Cup Final which remains the club's last trophy. Kendall was in awe. 'I never remember him making a significant mistake.'

Graeme Sharp formed a lethal partnership up front with Andy Gray and must be one of the all-time bargains, signing from Dumbarton for £125,000 and giving 11 years top service.

Bob Latchford became a national figure by scoring 30 league goals in 1977-78 – the first striker to do so for six seasons

His most important goal was the first in the 1984 FA Cup final against Watford that was the catalyst for Everton's glory period. The best was his screamer against Liverpool that was voted Goal of the Season the following year.

Kevin Sheedy provided the balance with his brilliant left foot. The Irishman sealed the Cup-Winners' Cup final victory against Rapid Vienna with a typically accurate shot into the roof of the net and later served the club as a youth in the academy.

For Everton's 1987 title success, Dave Watson was at the heart of defence for his boyhood idols. He also stayed loyal to the club as their league fortunes declined and remains the last Everton skipper to lift a trophy when Joe Royle's 'Dogs of War' team beat Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup final.

'We were never going to dominate United for 90 minutes but when we needed Dave Watson, he stood up for us,' said Graham Stuart, part of the victorious side.

Duncan Ferguson came on as substitute that afternoon having recently returned from injury. Injuries affected 'Big Dunc' throughout his career but when on-song, the Scotland striker was unstoppable and idolised by a generation of Evertonians including a young Wayne Rooney.

He was inducted into Everton's Hall of Fame in 2009 - voted for by a landslide majority of supporters and later helped the club retain their Premier League status as interim manager.