clubname	Everton F.C.
fullname	Everton Football Club
current	2011–12 Everton F.C. season
nickname	The Toffees, The Blues, The School of Science, The People's Club
motto	Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
founded	1878 as ''St Domingo's F.C.''
ground	Goodison ParkLiverpool, England
capacity	40,157
chairman	Bill Kenwright
ceo	Robert Elstone
manager	David Moyes
league	Premier League
season	2010–11
position	Premier League, 7th
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pattern la2	_everton1112a|pattern_b2_everton1112a|pattern_ra2_everton1112a|pattern_so2_everton1112a
leftarm2	f5b32b|body2f5b32b|rightarm2f5b32b|shorts2000040|socks2000040
pattern la3	|pattern_b3|pattern_ra3|pattern_so3_everton1112t
leftarm3	FFFDD0|body3FFFDD0|rightarm3FFFDD0|shorts3000040|socks3000040
website	http://www.evertonfc.com/ }}

Latest Transfers Denis Stracqualursi On season loan.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football. They have competed in the top division for a record 108 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship nine times—the fourth highest of any team. Everton have remained in the top division since 1954, and were founding members of the Premier League in 1992.

Formed in 1878, Everton were founding members of The Football League in 1888 and won their first league championship two seasons later. Following four league titles and two FA Cup wins, Everton experienced a lull in the immediate post World War Two period until a revival in the 1960s, winning two league championships and an FA Cup. The mid-1980s represented their most recent period of success, with two League Championship successes, an FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup—their first continental trophy. The club's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup. The club's supporters are known as Evertonians. Everton have a large fanbase and regularly attract high attendances, averaging over 36,000 people per game: 95% of stadium capacity. Everton have a notable rivalry with neighbours Liverpool F.C. and the two sides regularly contest the Merseyside Derby. Liverpool F.C. were formed in 1892 by a breakaway group consisting of Everton's former president and a few players. The dispute also resulted in Everton leaving Anfield, their home ground at the time. The club have been based at their current home ground, Goodison Park, since 1892. Plans to move to a new 50,000 seater expandable stadium in Kirkby on the Liverpool city border were blocked by a public enquiry in 2009.

The club's home colours have traditionally been royal blue and white, with notable footballers donning the Everton shirt. The most famous is Dixie Dean, who scored a record 60 league goals in the 1927–28 season. Since 2000, the club has annually recognised notable former players, nominating an "Everton Giant" at the beginning of each season.

History

Everton was founded as St Domingo's in 1878 so that people from the parish of St Domingo's Methodist Church in Everton could play a sport in non-summer months – cricket was played in summer. A year later, the club was renamed Everton F.C. after the local area, as people outside the parish wished to participate.

The club was a founding member of the Football League in 1888–1889, winning their first League Championship title in the 1890–91 season. Everton won the FA Cup for the first time in 1906 and the League title again in 1914–15. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 interrupted the football programme while Everton were champions, something that would again occur in 1939.

It was not until 1927 that Everton's first sustained period of success began. In 1925 the club signed Dixie Dean who, in 1927–28, set the record for league goals in a single season with 60 goals in 39 league games, a record that still stands to this day. Dean helped Everton to achieve their third league title.

Everton were relegated to the Second Division two years later during internal turmoil at the club. However, the club was promoted at the first attempt scoring a record number of goals in the second division. On return to the top flight in 1931–32, Everton wasted no time in reaffirming their status and won a fourth League title at the first opportunity. Everton also won their second FA Cup in 1933 with a 3–0 win against Manchester City in the final. The era ended in 1938–39 with a fifth League title.

The outbreak of the Second World War again saw the suspension of League football, and when official competition resumed in 1946 the Everton team had been split and paled in comparison to the pre-war team. Everton were relegated for the second time in 1950–51 and did not return until 1953–54, finishing as runners-up in their third season in the Second Division. The club have been a top flight presence ever since.

Everton's second successful era started when Harry Catterick was made manager in 1961. In 1962–63, his second season in charge, Everton won the League title and in 1966 the FA Cup followed with a 3–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Everton again reached the final in 1968, but this time were unable to overcome West Bromwich Albion at Wembley. Two seasons later in 1969–70, Everton won the League championship, nine points clear of nearest rivals Leeds United. During this period, Everton were the first English club to achieve five consecutive years in European competitions—seasons 1961–62 to 1966–67.

However, the success did not last; the team finished fourteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth and seventh in the following seasons. Harry Catterick retired but his successors failed to win any silverware for the remainder of the 1970s. Though the club mounted title challenges finishing fourth in 1974–75 under manager Billy Bingham, and under manager Gordon Lee, third in 1977–78 and fourth the following season. Manager Gordon Lee was sacked in 1981.

1985 European Cup Winners' Cup Final starting lineup.

Howard Kendall took over as manager and guided Everton to their most successful era. Domestically, Everton won the FA Cup in 1984 and two league titles in 1984–85 and 1986–87 and the club's first and so far only European trophy securing the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1985 final

The European success came after first beating , Inter Bratislava and Fortuna Sittard, Everton defeated German giants Bayern Munich 3–1 in the semi-finals, despite trailing at half time (in a match voted the greatest in Goodison Park history) and recorded the same scoreline over Austrian club Rapid Vienna in the final.

Having won both the league and Cup Winners Cup in 1985, Everton came very close to winning a treble, but lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. The following season, 1985–86, Everton were runners up to neighbours Liverpool in both the league and the FA Cup, but did recapture the league title in 1986–87.

After the Heysel Stadium disaster and the subsequent ban of all English clubs from continental football, Everton lost the chance to compete for more European trophies. A large proportion of the title-winning side was broken up following the ban. Kendall himself moved to Athletic Bilbao after the 1987 title triumph and was succeeded by assistant Colin Harvey. Harvey took Everton to the 1989 final, but lost 3–2 after Extra time to Liverpool.

Everton were founder members of the Premier League in 1992, but struggled to find the right manager. Howard Kendall had returned in 1990 but could not repeat his previous success, while his successor, Mike Walker, was statistically the least successful Everton manager to date. When former Everton player Joe Royle took over in 1994 the club's form started to improve; his first game in charge was a 2–0 victory over derby rivals Liverpool. Royle dragged Everton clear of relegation, leading the club to the FA Cup for the fifth time in its history, defeating Manchester United 1–0 in the final.

The cup triumph was also Everton's passport to the Cup Winners' Cup—their first European campaign in the post-Heysel era. Progress under Joe Royle continued in 1995–96 as they climbed to sixth place in the Premiership. A fifteenth place finish the following season saw Royle resign towards the end of the campaign, to be temporarily replaced by club captain, Dave Watson. Howard Kendall was appointed Everton manager for the third time in 1997, but the appointment proved unsuccessful as Everton finished seventeenth in the Premiership; only avoiding relegation due to their superior goal difference over Bolton Wanderers. Former Rangers manager Walter Smith then took over from Kendall in the summer of 1998 but only managed three successive finishes in the bottom half of the table.

The Everton board finally ran out of patience with Smith and he was sacked in March 2002 after an FA Cup exit at , with Everton in real danger of relegation. The current manager, David Moyes, was his replacement and delivered Everton to a safe finish in fifteenth place. In 2002–03 Everton finished seventh, their highest finish since 1996. A fourth place finish in 2004–05, qualified Everton for the Champions League qualifying round. The team failed to make it through to the Champions League group stage and were then eliminated from the UEFA Cup. Everton qualified for the 2007–08 and 2008–09 UEFA Cup competitions and they were runners-up in the 2009 FA Cup Final.

Moyes has broken the club record for highest transfer fee paid on four occasions, signing James Beattie for £6 million in January 2005, Andy Johnson for £8.6 million in summer 2006, Yakubu for £11.25 million in summer 2007, and Marouane Fellaini for £15 million in September 2008. It was under David Moyes's management that Wayne Rooney broke into the first team, before being sold to Manchester United for a club record fee of £27 million.

Colours

During the first decades of their history, Everton had several different kit colours. The team originally played in white and then blue and white stripes, but as new players arriving at the club wore their old team's shirts during matches, confusion soon ensued. It was decided that the shirts would be dyed black, both to save on expenses and to instill a more professional look. The result, however, appeared morbid so a scarlet sash was added.

When the club moved to Goodison Park in 1892, the colours were salmon pink and dark blue striped shirts with dark blue shorts then switching to ruby shirts with blue trim and dark blue shorts. The famous royal blue jerseys with white shorts were first used in the 1901–02 season. The club played in sky blue in 1906, however the fans protested and the colour reverted to royal blue. Occasionally Everton have played in lighter shades than royal blue (such as 1930–31 and 1997–98) but these have proved unpopular with fans.

Everton's traditional away colours were white shirts with black shorts, but from 1968 amber shirts and royal blue shorts became common. Various editions appeared throughout the 70s and 80s. Recently however black, white, grey and yellow away shirts have been used. The away shirt for the current season, commencing August 2011, reverts back to an amber shirt with navy blue shorts.

!Period	!Kit manufacturer	!Shirt sponsor
1974–79			''none''
1979–83
1983–85
1985–86
1986–95
1995–97		Danka(copier supplier)>Danka
1997–00
2000–02	rowspan=2
2002–04		Kejian
2004–09		Umbro	rowspan=2	Chang
2009–		Le Coq Sportif

The home kit today remains royal blue shirts, white shorts and white socks although when playing teams away who also wear white shorts Everton typically wear all blue. Everton's goalkeepers will wear a camouflage green shirt with green shorts and socks at home and all black away.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Everton's current shirt sponsors are Chang Beer. Previous sponsors include NEC, Hafnia, Danka, one2one and Kejian. For the 2008–09 season Everton became the first Premier League team to sell junior replica jerseys without the current name or logo of its main sponsor Chang beer, following a recommendation from the Portman Group that alcoholic brand names be removed from kits sold to children. Everton's current kit manufacturers are Le Coq Sportif, who replaced Umbro from the 2009–10 season.

The club currently has two 'megastores', one located near to Goodison Park on Walton Lane named 'Everton One' and a store in the Liverpool One shopping complex, named 'Everton Two', giving the second store the address 'Everton Two, Liverpool One'.

Crest

thumb|150px|right|Monochrome Everton crest – featured on away and third kitsAt the end of the 1937–38 season, Everton secretary Theo Kelly, who later became the club's first manager, wanted to design a club necktie. It was agreed that the colour be blue and Kelly was given the task of designing a crest to be featured on the necktie. Kelly worked on it for four months, until deciding on a reproduction of Prince Rupert's Tower, which stands in the heart of the Everton district.

The Tower has been inextricably linked with the Everton area since its construction in 1787. It was originally used as a bridewell to incarcerate mainly drunks and minor criminals, and it still stands today on Everton Brow in Netherfield Road. The tower was accompanied by two laurel wreaths on either side and, according to the College of Arms in London, Kelly chose to include the laurels as they were the sign of winners. The crest was accompanied by the club motto, ''"Nil Satis Nisi Optimum"'', meaning "Nothing but the best is good enough".

The ties were first worn by Kelly and the Everton chairman, Mr. E. Green, on the first day of the 1938–39 season.

The club rarely incorporated a badge of any description on its shirts. An interwoven "EFC" design was adopted between 1922 and 1930 before the club reverted to plain royal blue shirts, until 1972 when bold "EFC" lettering was added. The crest designed by Kelly was first used on the team's shirts in 1978 and has remained there ever since, undergoing gradual change to become the version used today.

Nickname

Everton's most widely recognised nickname is "The Toffees" or "The Toffeemen", which came about after Everton had moved to Goodison. There are several explanations for how this name came to be adopted, the most well known being that there was a business in Everton village, between Everton Brow and Brow Side, named Mother Noblett's, a toffee shop, which advertised and sold sweets, including the Everton Mint. It was also located opposite the lock up which Everton's club crest is based on.

The Toffee Lady tradition in which a girl walks around the perimeter of the pitch before the start of a game tossing free Everton Mints into the crowd symbolises the connection. Another possible reason is that there was a house named ''Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House'' in nearby Village Street, Everton, run by Ma Bushell. The toffee house was located near the Queen's Head hotel in which early club meetings took place.

Everton have had many other nicknames over the years. When the black kit was worn Everton were nicknamed "The Black Watch", after the famous army regiment. Since going blue in 1901, Everton have been given the simple nickname "The Blues". Everton's attractive style of play led to Steve Bloomer calling the team "scientific" in 1928, which is thought to have inspired the nickname "The School of Science". While the battling 1995 FA Cup winning side were known as "The Dogs of War". When David Moyes arrived as manager he proclaimed Everton as "The People's Club", which has been adopted as a semi-official club nickname.

Stadium

Everton originally played in the southeast corner of Stanley Park, which is the site for the new Liverpool F.C. stadium, with the first official match taking place in 1879. In 1882, a man named J. Cruitt donated land at Priory Road which became the club's home before they moved to Anfield, which was Everton's home until 1892. At this time, a dispute of how the club was to be owned and run emerged with Anfield's owner and Everton's chairman, John Houlding. A dispute between Houlding and the club's committee over how the club should be run, led to Houlding attempting to gain full control of the club by registering the company, "Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd". In response, Everton left Anfield for a new ground, Goodison Park, where the club have played ever since. Houlding attempted to take over Everton's name, colours, fixtures and league position, but was denied by The Football Association. Instead, Houlding formed a new club, Liverpool F.C..

Ever since those events, a fierce rivalry has existed between Everton and Liverpool, albeit one that is generally perceived as more respectful than many other derbies in English football. This was illustrated by a chain of red and blue scarves that were linked between the gates of both grounds across Stanley Park as a tribute to the Liverpool fans killed in the Hillsborough disaster.

Goodison Park, the first major football stadium to be built in England, was opened in 1892. Goodison Park has staged more top-flight football games than any other ground in the United Kingdom and was the only English club ground to host a semi-final at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. It was also the first English ground to have undersoil heating, the first to have two tiers on all sides.

The church grounds of St Luke the Evangelist are adjacent to the corner of the Main Stand and the Gwladys Street Stand.

On matchdays players walk out to the theme tune to ''Z-Cars'', named ''Johnny Todd'', a traditional Liverpool children's song collected in 1890 by Frank Kidson which tells the story of a sailor betrayed by his lover while away at sea.

Everton's reserves play at Halton Stadium in Widnes.

Training facility

The School of Science is the nickname given to the Finch Farm training complex by some supporters, referring to a long-standing nickname for Everton. The training ground houses both the Everton first team and the youth academy. The first team squad officially moved to the complex on 9 October 2007, some time behind the target date of pre-season. .

Proposed new stadium

There have been indications since 1996 that Everton will move to a new stadium. The original plan was for a new 60,000-seat stadium to be built, but in 2000 a proposal was submitted to build a 55,000 seat stadium as part of the King's Dock regeneration. This was unsuccessful as Everton failed to generate the £30 million needed for a half stake in the stadium project, with the city council rejecting the proposal in 2003. Late in 2004, driven by Liverpool Council and the Northwest Development Corporation, the club entered talks with Liverpool F.C. about sharing a proposed stadium on Stanley Park. Negotiations broke down as Everton failed to raise 50% of the costs. On 11 January 2005, Liverpool announced that ground-sharing was not a possibility, proceeding to plan their own Stanley Park Stadium.

On 16 June 2006, it was announced that Everton had entered into talks with Knowsley Council and Tesco over the possibility of building a new 55,000 seat stadium, expandable to over 60,000, in Kirkby. The club took the unusual move of giving its supporters a say in the club's future by holding a ballot on the proposal, finding a split of 59% to 41% in favour. Opponents to the plan included other local councils concerned by the effect of a large Tesco store being built as part of the development, and a group of fans demanding that Everton should remain within the city boundaries of Liverpool.

Following a public inquiry into the project, central government rejected the proposal. Local and regional politicians are attempting to put together an amended rescue plan. Liverpool City Council have called a meeting with Everton F.C. with a view to assess some suitable sites they have short listed within the city boundary.

Liverpool City Council Regeneration and Transport Select Committee meeting on 10.02.2011, proposes to open the eastern section of the Liverpool Outer Loop line using "Liverpool Football Club and Everton Football Club as priorities, as economic enablers of the project". This proposal would place both football clubs on a rapid-transit Merseyrail line circling the city easing transport access.

Supporters and rivalries

Everton have a large fanbase, with the eighth highest average attendance in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season. The majority of Everton's matchday support comes from the North West of England, primarily Merseyside and Cheshire. Everton also have many fans who travel from North Wales and Ireland. Everton also have many supporters' clubs worldwide, in places such as North America, Singapore, Norway, Lebanon, Malaysia , Thailand, and Australia. The official supporters club is ''Evertonia'', and there are also several fanzines including ''When Skies are Grey'' and ''Speke from the Harbour'', which are sold around Goodison Park on match days.

Everton regularly take large numbers away from home both domestically and in European fixtures. The club implements a loyalty points scheme offering the first opportunity to purchase away tickets to season ticket holders who have attended the most away matches. Everton often sell out the full allocation in away grounds and tickets sell particularly well for North West England away matches. In October 2009, Everton took 7,000 travelling fans to Benfica., their largest ever away crowd in Europe since the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup Final.

Everton's biggest rivalry is with neighbours Liverpool, against whom they contest the Merseyside derby. The Merseyside derby is usually a sell out fixture, and has been known as the "friendly derby" because both sets of fans can often been seen side by side red and blue inside the stadium both at Anfield and Goodison Park.

Recently on the field, matches tend to be extremely stormy affairs; the derby has had more red cards than any other fixture in Premiership history. The rivalry stems from Liverpool's formation after an internal dispute with Everton officials and the owners of Anfield, the ground Everton were using at the time.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Reserves and Academy team

''For the reserve and academy team squads, see Everton F.C. Reserves and Academy''

Coaching staff

{| style="text-align: center; " |- !Position !Name |- |align="left"|Manager |align="left"| David Moyes |- |align="left"|Assistant manager |align="left"| Steve Round |- |align="left"|First team coach |align="left"| Jimmy Lumsden |- |align="left"|Goalkeeping coach |align="left"| Chris Woods |- |align="left"|Reserve team coach |align="left"| Andy Holden |- |align="left"|Coach |align="left"| Alan Stubbs |- |align="left"|Academy Manager |align="left"| Alan Irvine |- |align="left"|Motivational Coach |align="left"| Kevin Stephenson |- |align="left"|Club doctor |align="left"| Ian Irving |- |align="left"|Head fitness coach |align="left"| Dave Billows |- |align="left"|Chief Psychologist |align="left"| Stuart J Cooke |- |align="left"|Relaxation Therapist |align="left"| Steven Astley |- |align="left"|Fitness coach |align="left"| Steve Tashjian |- |align="left"|Masseur |align="left"| Jimmy Comer |- |align="left"|Kit manager |align="left"| Jimmy Martin |- |align="left"|Player liaison manager |align="left"| Bill Ellaby |}

Ownership and finance

Everton F.C. is a limited company with the board of directors holding a majority the shares. The club owes £44.8 million to banks, excluding loan interest and early repayment penalties, with total liabilities of £95 million. Their most recent turnover was £79 million; the second highest in the club's history. The club's overdraft with Barclays Bank is secured against the Premier League's "Basic Award Fund", a guaranteed sum given to clubs for competing in the Premier League. Everton agreed a long-term loan of £30 million with Bear Stearns and Prudential plc in 2002 over the duration of 25 years; a consolidation of debts at the time as well as a source of capital for new player acquisitions. Goodison Park is secured as collateral.

!Position	!Name	!Amount of Shares owned (percentage of total)	!Notes
	align="left"
	align="left"
	align="left"
Total amount of club owned by board members		24,236 (69%)
		align="left"

Figures up to date as of 2009–2010 accounts.

In 2004, the club were close to going into administration and had to sell England striker Wayne Rooney to balance the books. Three years earlier Francis Jeffers and Michael Ball had to be sold after the club spent expected income on player acquisitions that never arrived.

Notable former players

;Everton Giants The following players are considered "Giants" for their great contributions to Everton. A panel appointed by the club established the inaugural list in 2000 and a new inductee is announced every season.

''As of 27 May 2011.''

align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left" align="left"

Name!!Nationality!!Position!!Everton playing career!!Everton managerial career!!Appearances!!Goals
2011	Duncan Ferguson||		Forward (association football)>FW	1994–98, 2000–06	|240||62
2010	Trevor Steven||		Midfielder>MF	1983–89	|210||48
2009	Harry Catterick||		Forward (association football)>FW	1946–51	1961–1973	59	19
2008	Gordon West||		GK	1962–72	|402||0
2007	Colin Harvey||		Midfielder>MF	1963–74	1987–1990	384	24
2006	Peter Reid||		Midfielder>MF	1982–89	|234||13
2005	Graeme Sharp||		Forward (association football)>FW	1979–91	|447||159
2004	Joe Royle||		Forward (association football)>FW	1966–74	1994–97	275	119
2003	Kevin Ratcliffe||		Centre-back>CB	1980–91	|461||2
2002	Ray Wilson||		LB	1964–68	|151||0
2001	Alan Ball||		Midfielder>MF	1966–71	|251||79
2000	Howard Kendall ||		MF	1966–74, 1981	1981–87, 1990–93, 1997–98	274	30
2000	Dave Watson||		CB	1986–99	1997	522	38
2000	Neville Southall||		GK	1981–97	|751||0
2000	Bob Latchford||		FW	1973–80	|286||138
2000	Alex Young||		FW	1960–67	|272||89
2000	Dave Hickson||		FW	1951–59	|243||111
2000	T. G. Jones||		CB	1936–49	|178||5
2000	Ted Sagar||		GK	1929–52	|500||0
2000	Dixie Dean||		FW	1924–37	|433||383
2000	Sam Chedgzoy||		MF	1910–25	|300||36
2000	Jack Sharp||		MF	1899–09	|342||80

;Greatest ever team At the start of the 2003–04 season, as part of the club's official celebration of their 125th anniversary, supporters cast votes to determine the greatest ever Everton team.

Neville Southall (1981–97) Gary Stevens (1982–89) Brian Labone (1958–71) Kevin Ratcliffe (1980–91) Ray Wilson (1964–69) Trevor Steven (1983–90) Alan Ball (1966–71) Peter Reid (1982–89) Kevin Sheedy (1982–92) Dixie Dean (1925–37) Graeme Sharp (1980–91)

;English Football Hall of Fame members A number of Everton players have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame: Dixie Dean ''(2002 inductee)'' Paul Gascoigne ''(2002 inductee)'' Alan Ball ''(2003 inductee)'' Tommy Lawton ''(2003 inductee)'' Gary Lineker ''(2003 inductee)'' Howard Kendall ''(2005 inductee)'' Peter Beardsley ''(2007 inductee)'' |name=beardsleynote|group=nb}} Mark Hughes ''(2007 inductee)'' Neville Southall ''(2008 inductee)'' Ray Wilson ''(2008 inductee)'' Joe Mercer ''(2009 inductee)'' Harry Catterick ''(2010 inductee)''

;Football League 100 Legends The Football League 100 Legends is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by The Football League in 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of League football. * Alan Ball Dixie Dean Paul Gascoigne Tommy Lawton Gary Lineker Joe Mercer Neville Southall Alex Young

Notable managers

The following managers have at least one honour with Everton:

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !Manager!!Tenure |- |Dick Molyneux||1889–01 |- |Will Cuff|| 1901–18 |- |Tom McIntosh||1919–35 |- |Theo Kelly||1936–48 |- |Harry Catterick||1961–73 |- |Howard Kendall||1981–871990–931997–98 |- |Colin Harvey||1987–90 |- |Joe Royle||1994–97 |}

Honours

Domestic

'''First Division

Champions: (9) – 1890–91, 1914–15, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1984–85, 1986–87

Runners-up: (7) – 1889–90, 1894–95, 1901–02, 1904–05, 1908–09, 1911–12, 1985–86

Second Division

Champions: (1) – 1930–31

Runners-up: (1) – 1953–54

FA Cup

Winners: (5) – 1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995

Runners-up: (8) – 1893, 1897, 1907, 1968, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2009

Football League Cup

Runners-up: (2) – 1977, 1984

FA Charity Shield

Winners: (9) – 1928, 1932, 1963, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1986 ''(shared)'', 1987, 1995

Runners-up: (2) – 1933, 1966

Full Members Cup

Runners-up: (2) – 1989, 1991

Super Cup

Runner-up: (1) – 1985–86

World Soccer Magazine World Team of the Year

Winners – 1985

FA Youth Cup

Winners: (3) – 1965, 1984, 1998

Runners-up: (4) – 1961, 1977, 1983, 2002

Lancashire Senior Cup

Winners: (6) – 1894, 1897, 1910, 1935, 1940, 1964

Liverpool Senior Cup

Winners: (45) – 1884, 1886, 1887, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910 (shared), 1911, 1912 (shared), 1914, 1919, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1934 (shared), 1936 (shared), 1938, 1940, 1945, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958 (shared), 1959, 1960, 1961, 1982 (shared), 1983, 1996, 2003, 2005, 2007

European

European Cup Winners' Cup

Winners: (1) – 1985

Records and statistics

Neville Southall holds the record for the most Everton appearances, having played 751 first-team matches between 1981 and 1997, and previously held the record for the most league clean sheets during a season (15). During the 2008/09 season, this record was beaten by American goalkeeper Tim Howard (17). The late centre half and former captain Brian Labone comes second, having played 534 times. The longest serving player is Goalkeeper Ted Sagar who played for 23 years between 1929 and 1953, both sides of the Second World War, making a total of 495 appearances. The club's top goalscorer, with 383 goals in all competitions, is Dixie Dean; the second-highest goalscorer is Graeme Sharp with 159. Dean still holds the English national record of most goals in a season, with 60.

The record attendance for an Everton home match is 78,299 against Liverpool on 18 September 1948. Amazingly, there was only 1 injury at this game-Tom Fleetwood was hit on the head by a coin thrown from the crowd whilst he marched around the perimeter with St Edward's Orphanage Band, playing the cornet. Goodison Park, like all major English football grounds since the recommendations of the Taylor Report were implemented, is now an all-seater and only holds just over 40,000, meaning it is unlikely that this attendance record will ever be broken at Goodison. Everton's record transfer paid was to Standard Liege for Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini for a sum of £15m. Everton bought the player on the deadline day of the 2008 summer transfer window.

Relationships with other clubs

Everton have a link with Republic of Ireland football academy Ballyoulster United based in Celbridge, Canada's Ontario Soccer Association, and the Football Association of Thailand where they have a competition named the Chang-Everton cup which local schoolboys compete for. The club also have a football academy in Limassol, Cyprus and a partnership agreement with American club Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Since 2006, Everton have played an annual friendly with , a team with strong ties to manager David Moyes.

The club also owned and operated a professional basketball team, by the name of Everton Tigers, who compete in the elite British Basketball League. The team was launched in the summer of 2007 as part of the clubs' Community programme, and play their home games at the Greenbank Sports Academy. The team was an amalgam of the Toxteth Tigers community youth programme which started in 1968. The team quickly became one of the most successful in the league winning the BBL Cup in 2009 and the play offs in 2010. However Everton withdrew funding before the 2010/11 season and the team was re launched as the Mersey Tigers.

Everton also have links with Chilean team Everton de Viña del Mar who were named after the English club. On 4 August 2010, the two Evertons played each other in a friendly named the Copa Hermandad at Goodison Park to mark the centenary of the Chilean team, an occasion organised by The Ruleteros Society, a society founded to promote connections between the two clubs. Other Evertons exist in Rosario in Colonia Department, Uruguay, La Plata, and Río Cuarto in Argentina, Elk Grove, California in the United States, and in Cork, Ireland.

In popular culture

Like all of the major clubs in England, Everton have featured in many films, books, television programmes, songs and plays. A late 1970s television advertisement for ITV's teletext service Oracle featured an off screen voice asking the presenter "How did Everton do?" The presenter consults Oracle before announcing "Everton 1 Stoke 1".

The 1997 television movie ''The Fix'' dramatised the true story of a match fixing scandal in which the club's recent newly signed wing half Tony Kay, played by Jason Isaacs, is implicated in having helped to throw a match between his previous club Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town. The majority of the story is set during Everton's 1962/3 League Championship winning season with then manager Harry Catterick played by Colin Welland.

First shown in 1969, the television movie ''The Golden Vision'', directed by Ken Loach, combined improvised drama with documentary footage to tell of a group of Everton fans for whom the main purpose of life, following the team, is interrupted by such inconveniences as work and weddings. The film's title character, celebrated forward Alex Young, was one of several who appeared as themselves.

Notes

References

Sources

External links

Everton News – Sky Sports

Everton F.C. – Premierleague.com

Everton Former Players' Foundation

Category:Association football clubs established in 1878 Category:English football clubs Category:FA Cup winners Category:Former Football League clubs Category:Football League founder members Category:Premier League clubs Category:1878 establishments in England

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playername	Steven Gerrard
fullname	Steven George Gerrard
dateofbirth	May 30, 1980
cityofbirth	Whiston, Merseyside
countryofbirth	England
height
position	Central Midfielder / Second Striker
currentclub	Liverpool
clubnumber	8
youthyears1	1987–1998
youthclubs1	Liverpool
years1	1998–
clubs1	Liverpool
caps1	387
goals1	84
nationalyears1	1999
nationalyears2	2000–
nationalteam1	England U21
nationalteam2	England
nationalcaps1	4
nationalcaps2	89
nationalgoals1	1
nationalgoals2	19
pcupdate	21:51, 02 February 2011 (UTC)
ntupdate	22:00, 17 November 2010 (UTC) }}

Steven George Gerrard MBE (; born 30 May 1980 in Whiston, Merseyside, England) is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger. Gerrard is best known for his tremendous long-range striking ability and has scored in numerous cup finals, including the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2006 FA Cup Final.

Gerrard, who has spent his entire career at Anfield, made his début in 1998 and cemented his place in the first team in the 2000–01 season, succeeding Sami Hyypiä as Liverpool team captain in 2003. His honours include two FA Cup wins, two League Cup wins, a UEFA Cup win, and a UEFA Champions League win in 2005. In 2005, Gerrard came third in the voting for Ballon d'Or, given to the top player in Europe.

Gerrard made his international debut in 2000 and has represented England at Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, as well as the 2006 World Cup, where he was the team's top goalscorer with two goals. Gerrard is the current vice-captain of the England national football team. However, he captained his country at the 2010 World Cup in the absence of regular captain Rio Ferdinand who missed the tournament through injury.

Gerrard is widely regarded as one of the greatest English footballers ever. Gerrard came second only to Kenny Dalglish in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, a Liverpool F.C. fan poll. Zinedine Zidane said in 2009 that he considers Gerrard one of the best footballers in the world. In 2010, The Guardian named Gerrard to their World XI team, which compiled the greatest footballers of all-time onto one squad.

Club career

Early Years

Born in Whiston, Merseyside, Gerrard started out playing for hometown team Whiston Juniors, where he was noticed by Liverpool scouts. He joined the Reds' youth academy at the age of nine. Gerrard then had trials with various clubs at fourteen, but his success wasn't immediate—Gerrard never made it into the England Schoolboys team. Gerrard's trials included Manchester United, which he claimed in his 2006 autobiography was "to pressure Liverpool into giving me a YTS contract." He signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 5 November 1997.

Liverpool Beginnings (1998-2003)

Gerrard made his Liverpool first-team debut on 29 November 1998 in a match against Blackburn Rovers as a last minute substitute for Vegard Heggem. He made thirteen appearances in his debut season, filling in the midfield position for injured captain Jamie Redknapp and playing on the right wing, but he scarcely contributed in the short on-pitch time he received, due to nervousness affecting his play. Gerrard recalled in a November 2008 interview with ''The Guardian'', "I was out of position and out of my depth." The Liverpool hierarchy nonetheless remained convinced that he would improve. Gerrard saw himself as a defensive player primarily, looking to make key tackles rather than push the team forward.

Gerrard partnered Redknapp in central midfield for the 1999–00 season. After starting the derby match against Everton on the bench, he replaced Robbie Fowler in the second half but received his first career red card for a late foul on Everton's Kevin Campbell. Later that season, Gerrard scored his first senior goal in a 4–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. However, he began to suffer from nagging back problems, which sports consultant Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt later diagnosed as a result of accelerated growth, coupled with excessive playing, during his teenage years. He was then beset by groin injuries that required four separate operations.

In 2000–01, he made fifty starts in all competitions and scored ten goals as Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup, and the 2001 UEFA Cup.

Team Struggles and Uncertainty (2003-2004)

Gerrard replaced Sami Hyypiä as Liverpool captain in October 2003, as manager Gérard Houllier said that he recognised Gerrard had demonstrated leadership qualities early on, but needed to mature. He chose to extend his contract at the club, signing a new four-year deal.

Houllier quit after a trophyless 2003–04 campaign, and Gerrard was linked with a move to Chelsea during the offseason. He admitted he was not "happy with the progress Liverpool has made," and that "for the first time in my career I've thought about the possibility of moving on." In the end, Gerrard turned down a £20 million offer from Chelsea to stay with Liverpool and new coach Rafael Benítez.

Breakthrough and Trophy Campaigns (2004-2007)

Liverpool were wracked with injury early in the 2004–05 season, and a foot injury suffered in a September league match against Manchester United shelved Gerrard until late November. He returned to score in the last five minutes of a Champions League group stage match against Olympiacos to secure Liverpool's advancement to the knockout round. He claimed that this was his most important, if not his best, goal for Liverpool to date. However, Gerrard netted an own goal during the 2005 League Cup final on 27 February, which proved decisive in Liverpool's 3–2 loss to Chelsea.

During a six-minute stretch in the second half of the 2005 Champions League final against A.C. Milan, Liverpool came back from a three-goal deficit to tie the match at 3–3 after extra time, with Gerrard scoring one of the goals. Liverpool's third goal was gained as a penalty from a foul awarded to Liverpool when Gennaro Gattuso fouled Gerrard in Milan's penalty box. Gerrard did not participate in the penalty shootout, which Liverpool won 3–2 as they claimed their first Champions League trophy in twenty years, though he was named the Man of the Match, and later received the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award.

In regards to his contract issues with Liverpool, Gerrard told the press after the final, "How can I leave after a night like this?" But negotiations soon stalled and on 5 July 2005, after Liverpool turned down another lucrative offer from Chelsea, Gerrard rejected a club-record £100,000-a-week offer. Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry conceded the club had lost Gerrard, saying, "Now we have to move on. We have done our best, but he has made it clear he wants to go and I think it looks pretty final." The next day, Gerrard signed a new four-year deal as Parry blamed the earlier breakdown of talks on miscommunication between the two sides.

Gerrard scored 23 goals in 53 appearances in 2005–06, and in April became the first Liverpool player since John Barnes in 1988 to be voted the PFA Player of the Year. He scored twice in the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham United, including an equalizer that sent the match into extra time, and Liverpool won their second consecutive major trophy on penalties. The goals made him the only player to have scored in the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League finals. Gerrard netted a penalty as Liverpool eliminated league rival Chelsea in the 2006–07 Champions League semi-finals to return to their second final in three seasons, which they lost 2–1 to Milan.

Gerrard suffered a hairline toe fracture in an August 2007 Champions League qualifier against Toulouse F.C., but returned four days later to play the entirety of a 1–1 league draw against Chelsea. On 28 October 2007, Gerrard played his 400th game for Liverpool in a league match against Arsenal, in which he scored. He scored in all but one of Liverpool's domestic and European matches during the month of November, and after scoring the only goal in a Champions League away tie against Olympique de Marseille on 11 December, he became the first Liverpool player since John Aldridge in 1989 to score in seven consecutive games in all competitions.

Continued Success and Stardom (2007-)

Gerrard made his 300th Premier League appearance on 13 April 2008 in a match against Blackburn Rovers, scoring the opening goal, and finished the season with twenty-one goals in all competitions, surpassing his total from the 2006–07 season. Gerrard was selected for the PFA Team of the Year and he was also one of the nominees or the PFA Player of the Year, alongside teammate Fernando Torres.

Gerrard needed to undergo groin surgery at the beginning of the 2008–09 season, but the problem was not serious and he quickly returned to training. He scored what appeared to be his hundredth career Liverpool goal against Stoke City on 20 September, but it was disallowed after Dirk Kuyt was ruled offside. He achieved the milestone eleven days later in a 3–1 Champions League group stage win over PSV.

He made his 100th appearance in European club competition for Liverpool on 10 March 2009 against Real Madrid and scored twice in a 4–0 win. Four days after the impressive victory over Real, Gerrard would score at Old Trafford for the first time from the penalty spot, putting Liverpool ahead on their way to a 4–1 victory over Manchester United. Following these results, three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane hailed the Liverpool skipper, saying "Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he might be." On 22 March 2009, Gerrard scored his first ever hat-trick in the Premier League, against Aston Villa, in a 5–0 victory. On 13 May 2009, Gerrard was named as the 2009 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Liverpool player to win the award in nineteen years. Gerrard had pipped Manchester United duo Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney in the poll voted for by journalists, beating Ryan Giggs by just 10 votes. Upon receiving the award, he was quoted as saying "I'm delighted but I'm a little bit surprised," he commented. "When you look at the quality of the players there are in this league, it's a great privilege to win this kind of award." He ended the 2009–10 season with a total of 12 goals and 9 assists from 46 matches.

Following the 2009–10 season, Rafael Benitez departed Liverpool after six years and was succeeded as manager b|y Roy Hodgson, who quickly assured fans that Gerrard would not be sold. To further eliminate any speculation surrounding his future at the club, Gerrard made a statement emphasising his excitement at the coming season with Liverpool and praising the signing of Joe Cole. Gerrard soon played his first pre-season match of the 2010–11 season against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 1 August 2010 alongside new signing Cole.

Gerrard scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season from the penalty spot in a Europa League qualifier against Macedonian side FK Rabotnicki on the 5th August 2010.

His next two goals came on 19 September at Old Trafford in a 3–2 loss against Manchester United; he scored from a penalty kick in the 64th minute and a free-kick 6 minutes later to level the game at 2–2. He followed this up with the equaliser in a 2–2 home draw with Sunderland. 11 days later Gerrard came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick in a 3–1 win over Napoli in the Europa League. Steven Gerrard has missed the start of English Premier League season 2011-2012 due to groin injury which kept him away for much of the 2010-2011 season as well.

International career

Gerrard made his international debut against Ukraine on 31 May 2000. That summer, he was called up for Euro 2000, making only one appearance as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Germany before England were eliminated in the group stage. Gerrard scored his first international goal in the famous 5–1 victory over Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in September 2001, and while England qualified, Gerrard was forced to pull out of the squad due to his ongoing groin problems after pulling up in Liverpool's final match of the season against Ipswich.

He was a regular starter in Euro 2004, scoring once – against Switzerland – before England were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals on penalties. He participated in his first World Cup in 2006 and two goals, both in the group stage, against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden, although his spot kick was one of three saved by goalkeeper Ricardo as England again bowed out to Portugal in the quarter-finals on penalties. He was England's top scorer in the tournament.

Gerrard was made vice-captain of the England team by coach Steve McClaren, and while he filled in for John Terry as captain, England suffered back-to-back losses to Russia and Croatia that ended their Euro 2008 qualifying hopes. After new coach Fabio Capello took over the team in early 2008, Gerrard was given a trial run as captain but Capello settled on Terry for the role. Gerrard was subsequently replaced as England vice-captain by Rio Ferdinand.

Gerrard helped England qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, scoring two goals in England's 5–1 win over Croatia.

John Terry was replaced by Rio Ferdinand as captain in 2010, following revelations about the former's private life, and Gerrard subsequently became vice-captain again. When the England team left for the 2010 World Cup, Gerrard was the most experienced player in the squad with 80 caps. During preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, however, Rio Ferdinand was injured, meaning that Gerrard was appointed by Capello as captain for the tournament. After the tournament Gerrard, part of a group of England players dubbed the "Golden Generation", confirmed that he would continue to be available for selection, despite suggestions from Capello that he would seek to re-build the team.

In August 2010, Gerrard scored twice in a friendly match against Hungary and helped England to a 2–1 win. Due to Ferdinand's continued absence through injury, Gerrard retained the captaincy for the opening match of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against Bulgaria, which England won 4–0.

International goals

:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first.'' Olympic Stadium (Munich) 16 October 2002 3 June 2003 17 June 2004 4 September 2004 30 March 2005 30 May 2006 15 June 2006 20 June 2006 2 September 2006 rowspan="2" 28 May 2008 15 October 2008 rowspan="2" 12 June 2010 rowspan="2"

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1	1 September 2001	Olympiastadion, Germany ||		2–1	Germany 1–5 England (2001)>5–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 9>2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
2	|	St Mary's Stadium, England		2–2	2–2	2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying#Group 7>UEFA Euro 2004 Qualifying
3	|	Walkers Stadium, England		1–0	2–1	Exhibition game>Friendly
4	|	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Portugal		3–0	3–0	2004 UEFA European Football Championship - Group B>UEFA Euro 2004
5	|	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Austria		2–0	2–2	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 6>2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
6	|	St James' Park, England		1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 6>2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
7	|	Old Trafford, England		1–0	3–1	Exhibition game>Friendly
8	|	Frankenstadion, Germany		2–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup - Group B>2006 FIFA World Cup
9	|	RheinEnergieStadion>RheinEnergie Stadion, Germany		2–1	2–2	2006 FIFA World Cup - Group B>2006 FIFA World Cup
10	|	Old Trafford, England		2–0	5–0	2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group E>UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
11	28 March 2007 || rowspan="2"|Olympic Stadium, Spain ||		1–0	3–0	rowspan="2"
12	2–0
13	|	Wembley Stadium, England		2–0	2–0	Exhibition game>Friendly
14	|	Dinamo Stadium (Minsk)>Dinamo Stadium, Belarus		1–0	3–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 6>2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
15	9 September 2009 ||	Wembley Stadium, England		2–0	5–1	rowspan="2"
16	4–0
17	|	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, South Africa		1–0	1–1	2010 FIFA World Cup
18	11 August 2010 ||	Wembley Stadium, England		1–1	2–1	rowspan="2"
19	2–1

Player Profile

Gerrard primarily plays centre midfielder with attacking tendencies. Gerrard has also played on the right wing, as well as a second striker. Early in his career, Gerrard was known for his defensive abilities, but over time, he has become known for his scoring. Gerrard's strengths are his long-range shooting and his powerful shot. Many of Gerrard's most memorable goals are scored from a volley, a specialty of Gerrard. He is also a good passer, especially on long passes and overhead crosses from the wide area that set his teammates up for scoring chances. Gerrard has tremendous endurance and is rarely subbed out of games. Gerrard's tireless work in the attacking midfield leads his team to an abundance of opporitunities. However, Gerrard has been criticized by opposing teams and coaches for his lack of positional awareness and his tendency to leave opponents unmarked.

Personal life

Gerrard and his wife, fashion journalist Alex Curran, married at the Cliveden mansion in Buckinghamshire on 16 June 2007. He has an older brother, Paul (not to be confused with former Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard), and his cousin Anthony plays for Cardiff. Steven and Alex have two daughters, Lilly-Ella (born 23 February 2004) and Lexie (9 May 2006). On 17 May, Alex told ''OK! Magazine'' that she and Steven were expecting a third child.

In September 2006, Gerrard published his autobiography, ''Gerrard: My Autobiography'', ghost-written by journalist Henry Winter, which went on to win the Sports Book of the Year honour at the British Book Awards.

The autobiography ends with "I play for Jon-Paul." Gerrard's ten-year-old cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, was killed in the 1989 Hillsborough Tragedy, when Gerrard was eight. "It was difficult knowing one of your cousins had lost his life," Gerrard said. "Seeing his family's reaction drove me on to become the player I am today."

On 1 October 2007, Gerrard was involved in a low-speed accident in Southport when the car he was driving hit a ten-year-old cyclist, who had shot into the street and inadvertently cut off Gerrard's path. He later visited the boy in the hospital and presented him with a pair of boots signed by Wayne Rooney, the boy's favourite player, after which he stayed to sign autographs for other young patients.

Councillors of Knowsley voted to make Gerrard a Freeman of the Borough on 13 December 2007, and two weeks later, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by The Queen in The Queen's New Year Honours List, for services to sport. He received an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University on 26 July 2008 as recognition for his contribution to sport.

On 29 December 2008, Gerrard was taken into custody outside the Lounge Inn in Southport on suspicion of a section 20 assault. He and two others were later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, relating to an incident which left the bar's disc jockey with a broken tooth and cuts to his forehead. The three men were given police to court bail and were required to appear at North Sefton Magistrates' Court on 23 January 2009, where they all pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned until 20 March when the assault charge was dropped but Gerrard was required to attend Liverpool Crown Court to face trial for affray. On 3 April, Gerrard pleaded not guilty.

The case went to trial in Liverpool Crown Court. Gerrard's co-defendants pleaded guilty before the trial but Gerrard maintained his innocence. Gerrard admitted hitting Marcus McGee but claimed it was in self defence and on July 24, Gerrard was found not guilty by the jury. Following the verdict, Gerrard said he was looking forward to getting back to playing football and putting the experience behind him.

In 2011 Gerrard appeared in the film ''Will''.

Career statistics

''Correct as of 20:51, 2 February 2011'' |- |1998–99||rowspan="13"|Liverpool||rowspan="13"|Premier League||12||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||13||0 |- |1999–2000||29||1||2||0||0||0||0||0||31||1 |- |2000–01||33||7||4||1||4||0||9||2||50||10 |- |2001–02||28||3||2||0||0||0||15||1||45||4 |- |2002–03||34||5||2||0||6||2||11||0||54*||7 |- |2003–04||34||4||3||0||2||0||8||2||47||6 |- |2004–05||30||7||0||0||3||2||10||4||43||13 |- |2005–06||32||10||6||4||1||1||12||7||53^||23^ |- |2006–07||36||7||1||0||1||1||12||3||51*||11 |- |2007–08||34||11||3||3||2||1||13||6||52||21 |- |2008–09||31||16||3||1||0||0||10||7||44||24 |- |2009–10||33||9||2||1||1||0||13||2||49||12 |- |2010–11||21||4||1||0||0||0||2||4||24||8 387||84||29||10||20||7||116||38||556||140 387||84||29||10||20||7||116||38||556||140 |}

* Includes appearance in FA Community Shield that season

^ Includes two appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Championship

Honours

Liverpool

Winner

FA Cup: 2000–01, 2005–06

League Cup: 2000–01, 2002–03;

FA Community Shield: 2001, 2006;

UEFA Champions League: 2004–05;

UEFA Cup: 2000–01

UEFA Super Cup: 2001, 2005

Runner-Up

FA Premier League: 2001–02, 2008–09;

League Cup: 2004–05

FA Community Shield: 2002

UEFA Champions League: 2006–07

FIFA Club World Championship: 2005

Individual

FWA Footballer of the Year: 2009

PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2006

PFA Young Player of the Year: 2001

PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2001, 2009

PFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

FA Premier League Player of the Month: March 2001, March 2003, December 2004, April 2006, March 2009

Liverpool top goalscorer: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005

UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 2005

UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006, 2007

FIFA/FIFPro World XI: 2007, 2008, 2009

FA Cup Final Man of the Match: 2006

Goal of the Season: 2006

England Player of the Year: 2007

Awards

Gerrard has been nominated on numerous occasions for the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

Ballon d'Or

2001 – 25th

2005 – 3rd

2006 – nominated (top 50)

2007 – 13th

2008 – 10th

2009 – 10th

FIFA World Player of the Year

2001 – 28th

2005 – 7th

2006 – 12th

2007 – 6th

2008 – 6th

2009 – 8th

Others

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): 2007

Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University: 2008

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 3rd place: 2005

References

External links

Official LFC profile

BBC Sport profile

Tactical Profile at football-lineups.com

Steven Gerrard profile at Carling.com

Steven Gerrard profile at FootballDatabase.com

Profile and stats at LFChistory.net

ESPN profile

Premier League profile

Profile at SoccerSurfer.com

Category:1980 births Category:People from Whiston, Merseyside Category:People from Huyton Category:Sportspeople from Liverpool Category:Living people Category:Association football midfielders Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:England international footballers Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:English footballers

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name	Gary Speed
fullname	Gary Andrew Speed
dateofbirth	September 08, 1969
dateofdeath	November 27, 2011
cityofbirth	Mancot
countryofbirth	Wales
cityofdeath	Huntington
countryofdeath	England
height
position	Midfielder
youthyears1	?–1988
youthclubs1	Leeds United
years1	1988–1996
years2	1996–1998
years3	1998–2004
years4	2004–2008
years5	2008–2010
clubs1	Leeds United
clubs2	Everton
clubs3	Newcastle United
clubs4	Bolton Wanderers
clubs5	Sheffield United
caps1	248
caps2	58
caps3	213
caps4	121
caps5	37
goals1	39
goals2	15
goals3	29
goals4	14
goals5	6
totalcaps	677
totalgoals	103
nationalyears2	1990–2004
nationalteam1	Wales U21
nationalteam2	Wales
nationalcaps1	3
nationalcaps2	85
nationalgoals1	0
nationalgoals2	7
manageryears1	2010
managerclubs1	Sheffield United
manageryears2	2010–2011
managerclubs2	Wales }}

Gary Andrew Speed, MBE (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between 1990 and 2004.

Speed played professionally for Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United. Rarely troubled by injury or suspension, he held the record for the most appearances in the FA Premier League at 535, until it was surpassed by David James.

Speed was appointed manager of Sheffield United in 2010, but he left the club after a few months in December 2010 to manage the Wales national football team.

Speed's death was announced by the Football Association of Wales on 27 November 2011. Throughout the day many tributes came out for him from various figures in football as well as many national figures in Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Personal life

Born in Mancot, Wales, Speed attended Hawarden High School as a child. He supported Everton as a youngster. Speed was married to Louise from 1996 until his death. The couple had two children, Tommy and Eddie. Speed was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.

Playing style and reputation

Speed was a versatile player who could play in left midfield, central midfield, and also at left-back. He possessed great tactical awareness, and could both create and score goals. Regularly a captain, he was said by his teammates to to have been an 'inspirational figure' who led by example and demanded the best from those around him.

He was well known as a 'consummate professional' both on and off the field. He was not blessed with exceptional talent at a young age, but instead developed his technique through many hours of hard work on the training field. He had a reputation as an extremely fit footballer who looked after his body. He had a modern approach to diet and fitness, a rare quality amongst players of his generation. His level of fitness allowed him to avoid injury and to continue playing until the age of 39; he rarely missed a game.

He also had a reputation as a friendly and supportive person, who cared for and took an interest in the lives of the people around him; his 'nice guy' persona made him a popular and well respected figure amongst his peers.

Club career

Leeds United

Speed began his career with Leeds United as a trainee, signing a professional contract on 13 June 1988. He made his first team debut when he was aged 19. He went on to play a key role as they won the Football League First Division championship title in 1992 as part of a midfield that also comprised Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and David Batty. Speed featured in the 1996 Football League Cup Final defeat by Aston Villa.

Everton

Speed moved to Everton in 1996, for a fee of £3.5 million. He scored on his debut versus Newcastle United on 17 August 1996. He was installed as captain of the club by then manager Howard Kendall prior to the 1997–98 FA Premier League season.

He left the club in controversial circumstances and the reasons were never revealed. He told the ''Liverpool Echo'': "You know why I’m leaving, but I can’t explain myself publicly because it would damage the good name of Everton Football Club and I’m not prepared to do that."

Newcastle United

Speed was club captain at Everton, but moved to Newcastle United in 1998 for a fee of £5.5 million, in controversial circumstances. Speed featured in the club's FA Cup Final defeats by Arsenal in 1998 and by Manchester United in 1999. He also played in the UEFA Champions League with Newcastle in the 2002–03 season.

Newcastle's manager, Sir Bobby Robson, was sorry to see Speed leave the club, and acknowledged that he would do very well for Bolton Wanderers.

Bolton Wanderers

Speed moved to Bolton Wanderers on a two-year deal in a £750,000 switch from Newcastle United in July 2004. He became the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances when he played in Bolton's 4–0 victory over West Ham United in December 2006.

On 1 May 2007, Speed was named as the first team coach for Bolton after Sam Allardyce stepped down from his job as manager. However, in October he left the coaching job and returned to being just a player with the club. Conflicting reports of the incident claimed then manager Sammy Lee relieved him of his duties to concentrate on playing but Speed, in an interview with the Bolton News, claimed he chose to step down.

Speed scored a header for Bolton against Reading on 25 August 2007, making him, at the time, the only player to have scored in every Premiership season to date. Ryan Giggs later matched this achievement on 20 October 2007, and passed it on 8 February 2009. It had been reported in December 2007 that Speed was a target for Derby County, but it was confirmed on 24 December 2007 that he would join Sheffield United on loan on 1 January 2008, with a view to a permanent move for a fee of about £250,000.

Sheffield United

Speed made his first team debut on the day of his transfer – being named in the starting eleven for a 0–0 away draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Day 2008. He played regularly for the rest of the season and deputised as captain when Chris Morgan was unavailable. Having seen his penalty parried Speed netted the rebound to score his first goal for the Blades in a victory over Coventry in March of that year. He went on to finish the season on three goals for the Blades, scoring both goals in a 2–1 home victory over Bristol City in the penultimate game of the 2007–08 season. In an interview with BBC Wales on 10 May 2008, Speed hinted that the 2008–09 season may be his last playing before moving into coaching or management but stated that he had not yet made up his mind.

Speed started the next season as a regular fixture in the Blades midfield but succumbed to a back injury in November. Despite undergoing surgery to correct the problem he failed to regain his fitness and missed the rest of the season, concentrating instead on a coaching role at the club. In June 2009, he was approached by Swansea City with regards to taking on the managerial role left vacant by Roberto Martinez.

At the end of October 2009, Speed stated that "'I'm 40, I haven't played for a year and you can take what you want from that. I'm not missing playing because I'm enjoying the other side so much", although he revealed he was still in training, in preparation for running the 2010 London Marathon in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the cancer charity founded by Speed's former Newcastle manager, who had died on 31 July 2009 after a long battle against the illness.

Speed finally announced his retirement from playing in his 41st year, but agreed to remain at Sheffield United for at least one more season as a coach. Despite this he was again registered as a player and was named on the bench for the first round League Cup game against Hartlepool United at the outset of the following season.

International career

Speed was capped by Wales at youth and under-21 levels, earning three caps for the latter. He had been capped for Wales 85 times, second in the all-time list only to Neville Southall and is currently ranked sixth by members of the general public in the Best Welsh Football Players list. He retired from international football in 2004 after the side's 3–2 defeat to Poland in a 2006 World Cup qualifier. His first appearance for the national side had come on 20 May 1990 in a 1–0 friendly win against Costa Rica at Ninian Park.

After his retirement from international football, he was recommended by both the former manager Mark Hughes and fellow Welsh midfielder Robbie Savage as a future Welsh national team manager.

Managerial career

With the 2010–11 season only three games old Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell was sacked with Speed being confirmed as the club's new manager on a three year contract a few days later. On 21 October 2010, Speed was given a one game touchline ban and a £2,000 fine by the Football Association for his unsupportive behaviour at the home fixture against Watford on 2 October 2010. On 11 December 2010, Speed was linked with the vacant Wales manager job. Sheffield United confirmed that they had given Speed permission to talk to the Football Association of Wales over the vacant position. He was confirmed as the new Welsh national team manager on 14 December 2010, succeeding John Toshack who stepped down in September 2010, Sheffield United released him from his contract after compensation was paid by the FAW.

Speed's first game as Wales manager was 8 February 2011 against the Republic of Ireland in the inaugural Nations Cup, which Ireland won 3–0. Speed's first competitive match was the Euro 2012 qualifier at home to England which Wales lost 2–0. In August 2011 Wales attained their lowest ever FIFA ranking of 117th. This was followed by a 2–1 home win against Montenegro, a 1–0 away loss to England, a 2–0 home win against Switzerlandand a 1–0 away win against Bulgaria. Consequently in October 2011, Wales were ranked 45th in the world by FIFA. Speed's last game as manager of Wales was on 12 November 2011, a 4–1 win against Norway.

Death

On 27 November 2011, the Football Association of Wales announced that Speed had died. ''The Telegraph'' and ''ITN'' reported that Speed had died of suicide by hanging at his home in Huntington, Cheshire. Cheshire Constabulary announced that they were not treating Speed's death as suspicious. Friends reported their shock at the news; Speed had appeared as a guest on BBC One's ''Football Focus'' only hours before his death.

Tributes

On the day of Speed's death football was said to have "united in grief and to pay tribute to him". The news was first announced by the Football Association of Wales and they extended their sympathies and condolences to Speed's family. Throughout the day similar messages were released from many people within football as well as national figures in Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister David Cameron and Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband both released messages conveying their sadness at Speed's death as well as their condolences to his family. First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones released a similar message, as did Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan and Welsh Conservative Party leader Andrew RT Davies. A huge number of tributes from across football came in throughout the day for Speed. Close friends and former team-mates such as Robbie Savage, Ryan Giggs, Simon Grayson, Alan Shearer and John Hartson all expressed their deep sorrow at his death.

The match between Aston Villa and Swansea City, held only hours after Speed's death was announced, was dedicated to his memory. A minutes silence was to be held before the match. However, the fans applauded instead and sang Speed's name. Several players who played in the match had been severely affected by the news. Four Welsh internationals played in the match; Ashley Williams, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen, of Swansea, all played under Speed for Wales and Allen in particular was said to be struggling with the news. James Collins was the other Welsh international and he had also played with Speed at international level. Collins' Villa team mates Shay Given and Jermaine Jenas had both played with Speed at Newcastle United and both were very badly affected by the news. Given openly wept during and after the minutes applause. Both managers, Alex McLeish and Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to Speed. Rodgers, who had spoken to Speed a lot since he had become Wales manager, said that the game had lost a legend while Neil Taylor said that he hoped Wales could qualify for the 2014 World Cup to honour him.

Along with this match, several others saw tributes toward Speed. The only other Premier League match played that day was between Liverpool and Manchester City. Craig Bellamy was withdrawn from Liverpool's squad by Kenny Dalglish as he was too affected by news of his former teammate, at club as well as country, to play. Dalglish himself had managed Speed and expressed his sadness at the news. Saying that he thought Speed was a great footballer but also a great person. Another of Speed's former team mates, Hugo Viana paid tribute to him. The Portugese international was another who had played alongside Speed at Newcastle. After his team, Braga, had lost 3–2 to Porto Viana displayed a shirt reading "Gary Rest in Peace"

Internationally, FIFA President Joseph Blatter paid tribute to Gary Speed as "a model professional and a fantastic ambassador for the game". Both the FIFA and Welsh flags at FIFA's headquarters were at half mast as a mark of respect.

Honours

Club

;Leeds United

Football League First Division champions: 1991–92

FA Charity Shield winners: 1992

League Cup finalists: 1996

Football League Second Division champions: 1989–90

;Newcastle United

FA Cup finalists: 1998, 1999

UEFA Intertoto Cup finalists: 2001

Premier League Asia Trophy finalists: 2003

;Bolton Wanderers

League Cup finalists: 2004

Premier League Asia Trophy winners: 2005

Individual

PFA Team of the Year: 1993

Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 to 2001–02): Most Appearances (352)

International goals

Stadionul Republican 6 September 1995 29 March 1997 2 September 2000 20 November 2002 29 March 2003 4 September 2004

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Result !! Competition !! Scored
1	12 October 1994	Republican Stadium, Chisinau ||		2–3	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying>1996 European Cup qualification	1
2	|	Cardiff Arms Park>National Stadium, Cardiff		1–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying>1996 European Cup qualification	1
3	|	Cardiff Arms Park>National Stadium, Cardiff		1–2	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification>1998 World Cup qualification	1
4	|	Dynama Stadium (Minsk)>Dynama Stadium, Minsk		2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification>2002 World Cup qualification	1
5	|	Tofig Bahramov Stadium, Baku		2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualification>2004 European Cup qualification	1
6	|	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff		4–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification>2006 World Cup qualification	1
7	|	Tofig Bahramov Stadium, Baku		1–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification>2006 World Cup qualification	1

Career statistics

Playing statistics

{|border=1 cellpadding=6 cellspacing=2 style="background: ivory; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; clear:center" |+ Club performance |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Division !rowspan="2"|Season(s) !colspan="2"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="1" align=center valign=top|Leeds United |First Division / Premier League |1988–89 to 1995–96 |align="center"|248 |align="center"|39 |align="center"|21 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|26 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|17 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|312 |align="center"|57 |- |rowspan="1" align=center valign=top|Everton |Premier League |1996–97 to 1997–98 |align="center"|58 |align="center"|15 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|1 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|1 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|65 |align="center"|17 |- |rowspan="1" align=center valign=top|Newcastle United |Premier League |1997–98 to 2003–04 |align="center"|213 |align="center"|29 |align="center"|22 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|1 |align="center"|38 |align="center"|5 |align="center"|284 |align="center"|40 |- |rowspan="1" align=center valign=top|Bolton Wanderers |Premier League |2004–05 to 2007–08 |align="center"|121 |align="center"|14 |align="center"|6 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|4 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|8 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|139 |align="center"|14 |- |rowspan="1" align=center valign=top|Sheffield United |Championship |2007–08 to 2009–10 |align="center"|37 |align="center"|6 |align="center"|2 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|1 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|0 |align="center"|40 |align="center"|6 |- |colspan=3|Career totals |align="center"|677 |align="center"|103 |align="center"|53 |align="center"|11 |align="center"|47 |align="center"|13 |align="center"|63 |align="center"|7 |align="center"|840 |align="center"|134 |- |}

Managerial statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
!G!!W!!D!!L!!GF!!GA!!GD!!Win %
align=left
align=left
Total

References

External links

International career details

Newcastle United career details

Category:1969 births Category:People from Flintshire Category:2011 deaths Category:Suicides by hanging in England Category:Association football players who committed suicide Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Welsh footballers Category:Wales youth international footballers Category:Wales under-21 international footballers Category:Wales international footballers Category:Association football midfielders Category:Association football utility players Category:Leeds United A.F.C. players Category:Everton F.C. players Category:Newcastle United F.C. players Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff Category:Sheffield United F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:Welsh football managers Category:Sheffield United F.C. managers Category:Wales national football team managers Category:The Football League managers

ar:غاري سبيد bg:Гари Спийд cy:Gary Speed da:Gary Speed de:Gary Speed et:Gary Speed es:Gary Speed fr:Gary Speed ga:Gary Speed gd:Gary Speed gl:Gary Speed it:Gary Speed he:גארי ספיד lv:Garijs Spīds hu:Gary Speed ms:Gary Speed nl:Gary Speed ja:ガリー・スピード no:Gary Speed pl:Gary Speed pt:Gary Speed ru:Спид, Гэри fi:Gary Speed sv:Gary Speed vi:Gary Speed zh:加里·斯皮德

This is a list of people whose names in English are commonly appended with the phrase "''the Great''", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as ''e Bozorg'' and ''e azam'' in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus) assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "''the Great''".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers

Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran

Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India

Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia

Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia

Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias

Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex

Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire

Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty

Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),

Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire

Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand

Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)

Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)

Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden

Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland

Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia

Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India

Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans

Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)

Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks

Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen

Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor

Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media

Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire

Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire

Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent

Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse

Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile

Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia

Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader

Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC

Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)

Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre

Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea

Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris

Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France

Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)

Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat

Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia

John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve

John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre

Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor

Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i

Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India

Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia

Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty

Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales

Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland

Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand

Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan

Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)

Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)

Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom

Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus

Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)

Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya

Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)

K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque

Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka

Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia

Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia

Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily

Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar

Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar

Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.

Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India

Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)

Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties

Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)

Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev

Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders

Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent

Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre

Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire

Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king

Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia

Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire

Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks

Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)

Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty

Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie

Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire

Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor

Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia

Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia

Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire

Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark

Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor

Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus

Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy

William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon

William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou

Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)

Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures

Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East

Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia

Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian

Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt

Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader

Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)

Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint

Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint

Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)

Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)

Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)

Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit

Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)

Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople

William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other

Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies

Emmy the Great, folk singer

Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III

Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also

Epithet

List of monarchs by nickname

List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I

James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus

Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater

Notes

Category:Monarchs Great, List of people known as The Category:Greatest Nationals Category:Epithets

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playername	Nikica Jelavić
fullname	Nikica Jelavić
height
dateofbirth	August 27, 1985
cityofbirth	Čapljina
countryofbirth	SFR Yugoslavia
currentclub	Rangers
clubnumber	9
position	Striker
youthyears1	1999–2001
youthyears2	2001–2002
youthyears3	2002–2005
youthclubs1	GOŠK Gabela
youthclubs2	Neretva
youthclubs3	Hajduk Split
years1	2002–2007
years2	2007–2008
years3	2008–2010
years4	2010–
clubs1	Hajduk Split
clubs2	Zulte Waregem
clubs3	Rapid Vienna
clubs4	Rangers
caps1	35
caps2	23
caps3	70
caps4	28
goals1	8
goals2	3
goals3	25
goals4	18
nationalyears1	2009–
nationalteam1	Croatia
nationalcaps1	12
nationalgoals1	2
pcupdate	28 August 2011
ntupdate	3 June 2011 }}

Nikica Jelavić (born 27 August 1985) is a Croatian football striker who plays for Scottish Premier League side Rangers and the Croatian national team.

He started his career with Prva HNL side Hajduk Split in 2002, before moving to Belgian Pro League club Zulte Waregem in 2007. A year later he moved to Austrian Bundesliga team Rapid Wien and in the summer of 2010 he was signed by Scottish club Rangers for a fee of £4m.

Club career

Early career

Jelavić was born in in Čapljina, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) and started his youth career at his local side GOŠK Gabela, which plays in the Bosnian and Herzegovinian league system. His career took a more serious turn when he moved to the nearby cross-border club in Croatia, NK Neretva from the town of Metković, managed by Branko Gutić. At the encouragement of Ante Prco, Ivan Gudelj, Dražen Mužinić and Vilson Džoni he was brought to Hajduk Split's junior side at the age of 15.

He played his first match for Hajduk's senior side in the Prva HNL at the age of 17. Five years later in 2007 he signed for S.V. Zulte Waregem.

Rapid Vienna

For the season 2008–09 Jelavić played for the Austrian champions Rapid Vienna. In the Austrian Bundesliga he played 24 games (as first squad in 9 and as substitute in 15) and scored 7 goals without any yellow or red cards. In 2009–10, in the Austrian Bundesliga he played in 33 games (as first squad in 31 and as substitute in two) and scored 17 goals with 5 yellow cards and 1 red card. In the Europa League, he played six games and scored four goals with one assist.

In the summer of 2010 Jelavić was linked with a transfer to Rangers. A fee was originally agreed between the two clubs on 26 July, but the transfer was delayed by a dispute between the player and Rapid Vienna over a payment Jelavić claimed the club owed him. On 19 August, Rapid announced that Jelavić would be signing for Rangers, after the player announced he would not play in Rapid's Europa League qualifying match against Aston Villa.

Rangers

On 20 August 2010, it was announced that Jelavić had completed a £4 million move to Rangers on a four-year-deal. He made his debut in a home match against St. Johnstone on 28 August 2010. Due to his former club Rapid Vienna eliminating Aston Villa from the Europa League, Jelavić was ineligible to participate in Rangers' Champions League campaign, after becoming cup tied after appearing for the Austrian side in the earlier rounds.

On 11 September, Jelavić scored his first Rangers goal against, Hamilton Academical at New Douglas Park after he headed in a Kyle Lafferty cross. On 21 September, Jelavić played against Dunfermline Athletic in the League Cup, scoring two goals in the game including an overhead kick in a 7–2 win for Rangers. In Rangers next away match to Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium, Jelavic scored what turned out to be the winning goal in a 3–2 Rangers win. Rangers were 2–0 down before coming back to win the match with Jelavić scoring the 3rd Rangers goal. The next week Jelavić was injured in a match against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle Stadium, suffering ankle ligament damage due to a tackle by Hearts midfielder Ian Black. Jelavić claimed that Black had intended to injure him, a charge denied by his opponent, who apologized for the challenge.

After making his comeback off of the bench, Jelavić started his first match since his injury on 26 January 2011, scoring away from home against Hibernian in the first half. Jelavić's first hat trick for Rangers came in a 6–0 win over Motherwell on 12 February 2011 at Ibrox Stadium. In Rangers' 4–0 victory against St. Johnstone on 27 February 2011, Jelavić scored two goals and assisted a third with a backheel pass. On 20 March 2011, Jelavić scored the winning goal in extra time in Rangers' 2–1 win over Celtic in the 2011 Scottish League Cup Final. He then scored in consecutive away 1–0 victories over Hamilton Academical and Aberdeen. Jelavić rounded off the season by scoring five goals in the last six matches of the season including a goal and two assists in Rangers' 5–1 title winning victory against Kilmarnock on the last matchday of the season. Jelavić received the SFA goal of the season award for his spectacular overhead kick goal against Aberdeen.

On 22 July 2011, a day before Rangers opening match of the season against Heart of Midlothian, it was announced that Jelavić would wear the number nine shirt for the 2011-12 season he had previously worn the number 18. On 30 August 2011, it was reported that Rangers had rejected a £6.5m bid from Championship club Leicester City for Jelavić.

International career

In 2007, it was reported that Croatian national team coach Slaven Bilić had called up Jelavić for the Euro 2008 qualifiers, although he did not feature in any of the qualifying matches for the competition.

Jelavić eventually made his full international debut in a friendly match against Qatar on 8 October 2009 in Rijeka, coming on as a substitute for Ivan Klasnić in the 64th minute. In the final moments of the match, he netted his first international goal to secure his team a 3–2 win. On 14 October 2009, he made his first competitive international appearance for Croatia, in the team's final 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan in Astana, again coming on as a substitute for Klasnić, in the 77th minute. Croatia won the match 2–1, but failed to reach the play-offs after finishing third in their group.

In 2010, he made three international appearances in friendly matches, scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia in Bratislava on 11 August.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first.''

Goal !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
! 1	8 October 2009	Stadion Kantrida, Rijeka	|	3–2	3–2	Exhibition game>Friendly
2	11 August 2010	Štadión Pasienky, Bratislava	|	1–1	1–1	Exhibition game>Friendly

Career statistics

0 0 0 3 5 2 2 17 1 1 2 54

Club	Season	League	Cup	League Cup	!colspan="2"	Total
	!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="6">Hajduk Split	2006–07 in Croatian football	2002–03	2	0	|	0	–	–	–	–	2	0
2006–07 in Croatian football	2003–04	2	|	2	0	–	–	–	–	4	0
2006–07 in Croatian football	2004–05	0	|	2	0	–	–	–	–	2	0
2006–07 in Croatian football	2005–06	9	|	1	0	–	–	–	–	10	3
2006–07 in Croatian football	2006–07	22	|	1	0	–	–	–	–	23	5
Total	! 35 !! 8 !! 6 !! 0 !! – !! – !! – !! – !! 41 !! 8
! rowspan="2"	2007–08 Belgian First Division	2007–08	23	3	|	0	–	–	–	–	25	3
Total	! 23 !! 3 !! 2 !! 0 !! – !! – !! – !! – !! 25 !! 3
Rapid Vienna	2008–09 Austrian Football Bundesliga	2008–09	34	7	|	0	–	–	2	0	38	7
	2009–10 Austrian Football Bundesliga	2009–10	33	|	3	2	–	–	12	9	48	28
	2010–11 Austrian Football Bundesliga	2010–11	3	|	0	0	–	–	4	4	7	5
	Total	! 70 !! 25 !! 5 !! 2 !! – !! – !! 18 !! 13 !! 93 !! 40
! rowspan=3	2010–11 Scottish Premier League	2010–11	23	16	|	0	3	3	0	0	27	19
2011–12 Scottish Premier League	2011–12	5	|	0	0	0	0	4	1	9	3
Total	! 28 !! 18 !! 1 !! 0 !! 3 !! 3 !! 4 !! 1 !! 36 !! 22
Career Total	!156	|	14	2	3	3	22	14	195	73

Honours

Hajduk Split

*Prva HNL: 2003–04, 2004–05

*Croatian Cup: 2003

Rangers

*Scottish Premier League: 2010–11

*Scottish League Cup: 2011

References

External links

Nikica Jelavić at Transfermarkt.de

Nikica Jelavić at the Croatian Football Federation website

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Čapljina Category:Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Category:Croatian footballers Category:Croatia international footballers Category:HNK Hajduk Split players Category:S.V. Zulte-Waregem players Category:SK Rapid Wien players Category:Rangers F.C. players Category:Prva HNL players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:Croatian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Belgium Category:Expatriate footballers in Austria Category:Expatriate footballers in Scotland

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