Everton's World Cup History

Alex Parker

With Everton trio Jordan Pickford, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Idrissa Gana Gueye soon getting their World Cup campaigns under way it would be remiss not to mention the first Everton player to play in a World Cup tournament.
Alex Parker played in 1958 for Scotland against Paraguay.

It was in June 1958 when he joined Everton from a Falkirk side managed by Bill Shankly and went on to become probably the best right back the club has ever had. 

One of his major strengths was that he elevated the sliding tackle into something not far short of an art form and had Matt Busby declaring that, at his peak, he had no peer anywhere in the world. 

When his career ended he left the game in 1971 to enter the licensed trade and proved a popular landlord of the Swinging Sporran in Runcorn's Shopping City where once I had the privilege to be served a pint of Tartan bitter by the man himself. 

He later returned to his homeland to live in Gretna and in 2009 he suffered the amputation of his left leg. He relished a joke, though, causing his old Goodison chum Alex Young to remark: "At least it's not the one you tackle with." Alex Parker passed away on 07.01.2010 in Gretna following a heart attack. R.I.P.

The history of the World Cup shows that, despite the invitations from FIFA, England did not enter the first three competitions in 1930, 1934 and 1938 and it was only in 1950 when they took part for the first time.

Everton did not have a representative in an England World Cup squad until 1966 when an initial squad of 40 players was named which included Gordon West, Derek Temple, Fred Pickering and Ramon Wilson. 

Brian Labone was subsequently called up as a replacement for Marvin Hinton but then had to withdraw from the squad through injury. 

 

Ray Wilson

 When the squad size was reduced to 22 names only Ramon Wilson survived to play at left back and was one of the eight players to play in every game, including being in the winning side in the Final v West Germany.

The 1970 squad included Colin Harvey and Joe Royle who were inoculated for the trip and given 'reserve' status but did not in the end make it. Gordon West had declined a call up to the squad, preferring to stay at home with his family.

The Everton players who did travel to Mexico were Keith Newton, Brian Labone, Tommy Wright and Alan Ball.

Mexico 1986 was the next squad to include Everton players with Paul Bracewell on a standby list of 6 players but unfortunately not making the trip. 

 

Those 'Blues' who did were Gary Stevens, Peter Reid, Trevor Steven and Gary Lineker ( see above ). Lineker went on to win the Golden Boot as an Everton player, despite having already agreed a contract with Barcelona for the following season. 

 

Kevin Sheedy scored in the 1990 World Cup against England and is also noted as the first-ever Republic of Ireland player to score a goal in the World Cup finals

For the 2010 Finals, Leighton Baines was the only Everton man named in the initial 30 players but then did not make the final cut for South Africa. Fabio Capello cited 'homesickness' as the reason but was subsequently made to look flawed in his decision making. Baines refuted Capello's claims and went on to be regarded as the best left-back in Europe, his replacement Stephen Warnock's career nose-dived while Baines continued to play at the highest level.