1. Peter Beardsley
An MBE, 59 England caps, went straight from Liverpool to Everton and has a glorious face, so has to be number one. Beardsley is the only player to play for Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City.
The only downside of Wor Peter’s career was his paltry total of nine goals, but he was consistently picked to start for England by virtue of his impressive assist rate to star striker Gary Lineker.
He never won an honour at Everton, but managed to pick up two league winners’ medals, an FA Cup and three Charity Shields with Liverpool.
2. Gary Ablett
When Ablett won the FA Cup for Everton in 1995, he became the first player to win the FA Cup with both Merseyside clubs, and remains the only man to do so. He never made an appearance for his country, but made more than 100 league appearances for both Everton and Liverpool.
He brought the city together when he unfortunately died on January 1, 2012, after suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He battled the cancer for 16 months but tragically passed away aged 46.
3. Nick Barmby
Barmby’s 20-year career only ended earlier this year. He is most famous for his spells at Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Everton, whom he joined for a club record fee of £5.75million.
He signed for Liverpool in 2000 and, in his first season, won the treble of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. His time at Anfield was cut short by injury, but he still fetched £2.75million when he joined Leeds in 2002.
4. Abel Xavier
Abel Luis da Silva Costa Xavier was born in Portuguese Mozambique, and became known for his slightly fragile mental state but epic beard.
He played for Real Oviedo, Benfica, Bari and PSV before joining Everton in 1999. He stayed at Everton for three years but was only ever a bit-part player, even if he meant more to Gazza than we’ll ever know.
He was also banned from international football for six months during this time over his protests against a penalty decision at Euro 2000.
When he joined Liverpool, he played only 14 league games and was conspicuously not good enough for the club. In 2005, when playing for Middlesbrough, Xavier was banned from all football for a year for being found guilty of taking anabolic steroids.
5. Dave Hickson
By a mile the oldest player on the list, Hickson played for Everton at the start of his career, before leaving and returning to Goodison years later.
He was a striker and seen as the cliched ‘good feet for a big man’. He became an Everton legend when he sustained a serious head wound but insisted on playing on, scoring the winner against Manchester United in the FA Cup with blood pouring out of his bandage.
He joined Liverpool in 1959, and later became the only player to play professionally for Everton, Liverpool and Tranmere.
