Leighton Baines, the ego-free Evertonian, retires on his own unselfish terms | Andy Hunter

28 July 2020 06:00
Left-back played 420 games for his club and 30 for England before he departed in the same understated way he carried himself through 13 seasons at GoodisonA brief pause at the top of the tunnel steps, one quick glance back at a deserted Goodison Park, and then Leighton Baines was gone. Thirteen years and 420 games as an Everton player but no fans or fanfare to mark a retirement that caught many at his own club unaware. This was no way for a magnificent club man to bow out, yet it was strangely befitting of a defender who always delivered on his unassuming and stylish terms.Baines’s farewell on Sunday was a 20-minute appearance as a substitute against Bournemouth that featured a goal-denying tackle on Callum Wilson and more intensity than most of the passengers in the Everton team could muster in a 3-1 defeat. It was a final reminder of why Carlo Ancelotti had asked the 35-year-old to stay on for one more season as back-up to Lucas Digne. Related: It's Liverpool or Everton – you don't do both, says Leighton Baines | Leighton Baines has announced his retirement from football.Thank you for everything, Leighton. pic.twitter.com/mhYYWiPHHB Continue readingreadfullarticle

Source: TheGuardian