Leighton John Baines ( bear 11 December 1984 ) is an english erstwhile professional football player who played as a left back. Baines started his career with Wigan Athletic, and was separate of the team that won the second base Division in the 2002–03 season and was a runner-up in the 2004–05 Championship and the 2006 League Cup Final. He joined Everton in 2007, helping them reach the 2009 FA Cup Final. He played for England at under-21 and senior levels. Baines was included in the England squads at UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He announced his retirement from football on 26 July 2020, going on to integrate into coaching. [ 4 ] Baines is presently interim assistant director of Everton U18s, he is besides the Professional Development Coach for the Everton Academy. [ 5 ]
Reading: Leighton Baines
early life [edit ]
Born in Kirkby, England, Baines was separate of the Everton young person system before departing for Wigan Athletic as a adolescent. [ 6 ]
Club career [edit ]
Wigan Athletic [edit ]
Baines made his introduction for Wigan Athletic in 2002 and was a member of the team that won the second Division in the 2002–03 season. [ 7 ] He was a regular in the first gear team when Wigan earned promotion to the Premier League in 2004–05. [ citation needed ] That season saw Baines score his foremost finish for the club, a long-range shoot against Ipswich Town. [ 8 ] When he secured promotion with Wigan, he doubted he was well enough to play in the Premier League : “ We won promotion to the Premier League and, straight away, I was thinking, ‘Where am I going to go now ? ‘ I should have been celebrating but I spent a large separate of that summer worrying about what it would be like spending the next year on the bench and in the reserves. ” [ 9 ] Baines signed a modern abridge with Wigan in February 2005 despite being linked to a count of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton, [ 10 ] and extended his contract again after impressive displays in his beginning season in the Premier League. [ citation needed ] Whilst at Wigan, he started in the 2006 League Cup Final get the better of to Manchester United. [ 11 ]
Everton [edit ]
Baines playing for Everton in 2009 In July 2007, Baines rejected a move to Sunderland, after their bid of a reported £6 million was accepted by Wigan. [ 12 ] In the comply month he signed for Everton for an initial fee of £5 million, with another £1 million in add-ons, dependent on Baines ‘s appearances for Everton. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Baines did not play regularly in his beginning season, making good 29 appearances in all competitions, due to an injury and the good form of Phil Jagielka and Joseph Yobo at center back which kept Joleon Lescott at left back. [ citation needed ] His second season at Everton saw an increase in Baines ‘s play time. [ citation needed ] Due to an injury to Yobo, Lescott moved to the center of defense and Baines played at left back. [ citation needed ] He was voted Player of the Month at Everton two months in a quarrel in the 2008–09 season. [ citation needed ] Baines scored his first base always Everton goal against Portsmouth on 21 March, at Fratton Park, after 57 matches ( in all competitions ) without scoring. [ citation needed ] On 30 August 2009, he scored a last hour punishment in a 2–1 winnings over his former team Wigan. [ 15 ] A calendar month by and by, he captained Everton for the foremost time in a UEFA Europa League match against AEK Athens. [ 16 ] In the 2010–11 season, Baines played every moment of Everton ‘s Premier League matches, [ 17 ] arsenic well as scoring seven goals in all competitions. His contribution was rewarded with the club ‘s Player of the Season, Players ‘ Player of the Season, and Goal of the Season awards. [ 18 ] His finish against Chelsea, scored from direct free kick, was voted Everton Goal of the Season. [ citation needed ] He besides contributed 11 assists throughout the season, 5th overall in the league, and was the league ‘s highest assisting defender. [ citation needed ]
Baines playing for Everton in 2011 Baines scored five times during 2011–12, four of which were penalties. [ 15 ] He reached 99 consecutive league matches before ending his season early due to injury. [ 19 ] His performance at left back was deemed impressive adequate to be named in the PFA ‘s Premier League Team of the year in 2012, the inaugural Everton player to do so for 22 years since Neville Southall in 1989–90. [ 20 ] During the 2012–13 season, Baines created 116 chances for his teammates, [ 21 ] more than any other player in Europe ‘s top five leagues. [ citation needed ] When 2013 ‘s PFA Premier League Team of the Year was announced, Baines was again included, [ 22 ] and he besides won Everton ‘s Player of the Season and Players ‘ Player of the Season awards. [ 23 ] Baines was the only outfield musician to have played in every minute of every Premier League match during the season. [ 21 ] He was the subject of multiple bids during the 2013 summer transfer window from Manchester United but all were rejected by Everton. [ 24 ] Baines scored two free-kicks either english of goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen from the like stead as Everton perplex West Ham United 3–2 in September. [ 25 ] [ citation needed ] He was lone the one-fifth musician since 2006–07 to score two direct free-kicks in one Premier League equal ( after Rooney, Ronaldo, Drogba and Larsson ). [ 26 ] Baines suffered a toe injury in November which saw him miss a top fledge fixture for the beginning time in 52 matches. [ 27 ] On 27 January 2014, Baines signed a four-year deal to extend his contract at Everton. [ 28 ] He scored three penalties during the season to take his career run to 13, becoming the inaugural musician in Premier League history to have taken more than 10 and never missed one. [ 29 ] The 13th came on his 300th appearance in the competition in a 2–0 succeed over Manchester United. [ 30 ] Baines scored five goals and assisted four others during 2013–14, the most of any defender in the league. [ 31 ] He scored his first ever goal in european football for Everton on 18 September 2014, netting from the penalty spot in a 4–1 winnings over Wolfsburg in the first base match of their UEFA Europa League crusade. [ 32 ] On 5 October 2014, his penalty against Manchester United was saved by David de Gea. [ 33 ] This was the first time he missed a penalty in the Premier League. [ 34 ] In January 2015, Baines made his forty-fifth assist in the Premier League to overtake Graeme Le Saux as the defender with the most in the division ‘s history. [ citation needed ] Baines missed the beginning of 2015–16 after injuring his ankle in coach just before the Premier League started. [ 35 ] Baines became the third base defender to score 30 Premier League goals after John Terry ( 40 ) and David Unsworth ( 38 ) when he scored for Everton in a 3–0 winnings against Southampton on 2 January 2017. [ 36 ] Baines became the first defender to reach 50 Premier League assists on 15 April 2017. [ 37 ] Everton coach Ronald Koeman had reiterated Baines is Everton ‘s first-choice penalty taker after he equalled the club ‘s spot-kick criminal record. [ 38 ] Baines scored the achiever for Everton in the UEFA Europa League third base qualifying circle beginning leg against slovakian side Ružomberok on 27 July 2017. [ 39 ] By scoring a penalty in a 3–2 home winnings over Watford on 5 November 2017, Baines became Everton ‘s leading Premier League punishment scorer. [ 40 ] He was offered a new annual contract by Everton at the conclusion of the 2018–19 season. [ 41 ] [ 42 ] On his first gear start of the 2019–20 season, on 18 December 2019, Baines scored the equalizer from 25 yards against Leicester City in the 91st minute of an EFL Cup affiliation. The match ended in a 2–2 draw before Everton finally lost on penalties, with Baines having his spot kick saved. [ 43 ] At the conclusion of the season Baines announced his retirement from professional football. [ 44 ]
International career [edit ]
(left, in navy blue) playing for Bainesplaying for England in 2012
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Baines made his debut for the England under-21s in a 2006 UEFA european Under-21 Championship qualification away to Austria in September 2004 under Peter Taylor. [ 45 ] [ 46 ] In the postdate political campaign Baines scored a vital goal for the England under-21 team against Germany on 6 October 2006, securing a 1–0 winnings in the first leg of a UEFA european U21 Championship play-off. [ 47 ] He played all four of England ‘s matches in the 2007 UEFA european Under-21 Championship finals. [ citation needed ] In entire he played 16 times for the under-21 team and scored one goal. [ citation needed ] With Wayne Bridge retiring from external duties, Baines was called up to the senior England squad for the inaugural time in March 2009, [ citation needed ] and made his full international debut in a friendly against Egypt at Wembley Stadium on 3 March 2010, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 succeed for England. [ 48 ] He was selected in a probationary police squad of 30 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, [ 49 ] but did not make the final team of 23 players to be taken to South Africa, [ 50 ] with Aston Villa left back Stephen Warnock, who had not played in the warm-up matches, taken in his place. [ citation needed ] Baines made his competitive external introduction on 4 June 2011, replacing the injure Ashley Cole in a Euro 2012 modifier against Switzerland, [ 46 ] assisting Ashley Young for England ‘s equalising goal. [ citation needed ] Baines was named in Roy Hodgson ‘s squad for Euro 2012 in May, [ 51 ] but did not feature in the tournament with Hodgson using Ashley Cole for all four of England ‘s matches. [ 52 ] In September 2012, he scored his first international goal against Moldova in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification peer, a parry loose kick which was the final of England ‘s goals in a 5–0 succeed. [ 53 ] On 30 May 2014, Baines ‘ corners in a Wembley friendly against Peru led to two of England ‘s goals in a 3–0 win. [ 54 ] He played full back in England ‘s first two matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup ( against Italy and Uruguay ) ; [ 55 ] [ 56 ] both ended in 1–2 defeats as the team was eliminated in the inaugural round of the World Cup for the foremost time since 1958. [ 57 ]
style of play [edit ]
Baines is described in his UEFA.com profile as a “ dependable left back ” who is “ best known for his set-piece expertness and penalties ”. [ 46 ] But in his early years, Baines played in midfield and attack ; it was lone when he started at Wigan that he began to play in the left back put. [ citation needed ] In 2014, Roberto Martínez considered redeploying Baines as a midfielder, in a similar switch to Philipp Lahm. [ 58 ] Baines stated that he would be “ excited to give it a move ”. [ 59 ] Baines besides held the record for the most assists as a defender in the Premier League. [ 37 ] Baines has besides drawn praise in the media for his crossing, stamen, link up play, and ability to avoid injuries .
Coaching career [edit ]
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson stated that he believed that Baines would enter into a career in management after retirement from playing, predicting that he would one day take over as the coach of Everton in the future. [ 60 ] Furthermore, after Baines formally announced his retirement from playing, Danny Mills tipped him to go into coaching at Everton. [ 61 ] In September 2020, just two months after retiring from playing, Baines was appointed as professional growth passenger car at Everton ‘s academy set-up. [ 4 ] That December, David Unsworth, the coach of the club ‘s under-23s, expressed that he was impress with Baines ‘ contribution to the team ‘s coach staff, believing his presence to have a huge impact on the young players coming through the youth system. [ 62 ]
personal liveliness [edit ]
Baines was born and raised in Kirkby, Merseyside [ 63 ] and was educated at St Joseph The Worker Catholic Primary School [ 64 ] and All Saints ‘ RC High School in Kirkby. [ citation needed ] He began playing football at a local Liverpool primary school but, senesce 10, had trouble play for a Sunday League team because he was shy. [ citation needed ] He has three children with his wife, Rachel. [ 65 ] Baines is a close ally of musician Miles Kane, [ 66 ] and is himself a cutting guitarist. [ citation needed ]
career statistics [edit ]
clubhouse [edit ]
International [edit ]
Appearances and goals by national team and year[86]
National team
Year
Apps
Goals
England
2010
2
0
2011
4
0
2012
7
1
2013
9
0
2014
7
0
2015
1
0
Total
30
1
International goals [edit ]
- England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Baines goal.[86]
Honours [edit ]
Wigan Athletic
Everton
Individual
References [edit ]
- Profile at the Everton F.C. website
- Leighton Baines at Soccerbase
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