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Brian Labone
Former
Player Profile
Liverpool-born Labone chose to join Everton at 17 in July 1957
instead of going to university. His debut for the first team was
in 1958. He was widely regarded as one of the best central
defenders of his era. He was a strong tackler, good in the air,
adequately fast but he rarely used his left foot.
Brian summed up Everton in a simple quote "One Evertonian is
worth twenty Liverpudlians"
Labone made 451 League appearances for Everton and a total of 534
in all competitions. He scored two league goals and was booked
only twice throughout his career. 
Labone played in the
championship teams of 1962-63 and 1969-70, in the FA Cup winning
team of 1966, and in the FA Cup final of 1968.
Labone played 26 times for England between 1962 and 1970. He
withdrew from England's 1966 World Cup squad because of his
imminent marriage but played in three of the four games in the
World Cup in 1970 in Mexico.
In 1970-71 Labone sustained a serious injury to his Achilles
tendon and retired from playing. He maintained his links with
Everton where he worked as a guide for guests & visitors and
a website columnist.
Whilst returning home from an Everton fans awards evening Labone
died suddenly after collapsing in the street close to his Lydiate
home at the age of 66.
Another former Everton captain, Kevin Ratcliffe, paid the
following tribute: "Brian was Everton. If you could put
together a team of every player that has ever captained Everton,
every one of us would turn to Brian to lead us out. He will
always be known as the captain of Everton".
Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright also paid tribute in the perfect
way: "On the foot of the Dixie Dean statue outside Goodison
Park are the words "Footballer - Gentlemen -
Evertonian"..........those w
ords summed up Dixie - and they apply, equally, to
the great Brian Labone."
