Leighton Baines

Wigan Athletic

Baines made his debut for Wigan Athletic in 2002 at the age of 17 and was a member of the team that won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season. He was a regular in the first team when Wigan earned promotion to the Premier League in 2004–05. That season saw Baines score his first goal for the club, a long-range shot against Ipswich Town. When he secured promotion with Wigan, he doubted he was good 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 part of that summer worrying about what it would be like spending the next year on the bench and in the reserves." Baines signed a new contract with Wigan in February 2005 despite being linked to a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton, and extended his contract again after impressive displays in his first season in the Premier League. Whilst at Wigan, he started in the 2006 League Cup final defeat to Manchester United.

Everton

In July 2007, Baines rejected a move to Sunderland, after their bid of a reported £6 million was accepted by Wigan. In the following 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. In his first season, Baines made 29 appearances in all competitions, with his appearances limited by an injury and…

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. In the following campaign Baines scored a vital goal for the England under-21 team against Germany on 6 October 2006, securing a 1–0 win in the first leg of a UEFA European U21 Championship play-off. He played all four of England's matches in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals. In total he played 16 times for the under-21 team and scored one goal. Baines was called up to the senior England squad for the first time in March 2009, 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 win for England. He was selected in a provisional squad of 30 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not make the final squad of 23 players to be taken to South Africa, with Aston Villa left back Stephen Warnock, who had not played in the warm-up matches, taken in his place. Baines made his competitive international debut on 4 June 2011, replacing the injured Ashley Cole in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland, assisting Ashley Young for England's equalising goal. Baines was named in Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 in May, but did not feature in the tournament with Hodgson using Ashley Cole for all four of England's matches. In September 2012, he scored his first international goal against Moldova in a 2014 FIFA World Cup…

Baines is described in his UEFA.com profile as a "dependable left back" who is "best known for his set-piece expertise and penalties". But in his early years, Baines played in midfield and attack; it was only when he started at Wigan that he began to play in the left back position. In 2014, Roberto Martínez considered redeploying Baines as a midfielder, in a similar change to Philipp Lahm. Baines stated that he would be "excited to give it a go". Baines also held the record for the most assists as a defender in the Premier League. Baines has also drawn praise in the media for his crossing, stamina, link up play, and ability to avoid injuries.

Born in Kirkby, England, Baines was part of the Everton youth system before departing for Wigan Athletic as a teenager.