Trevor Steven

Burnley

Steven began his career with Burnley upon leaving school in the summer of 1980, and broke into the first team on 14 April 1981 when he made his debut as substitute in a 4–2 win over Huddersfield Town at Turf Moor. During the 1981–82 season, whilst still a teenager, his first appearance in the starting XI came at Bristol Rovers in September. Steven then went on to score three goals in 36 league games to help Burnley win promotion to the Second Division as Third Division champions. He managed eight goals in the 1982–83 season, but was unable to prevent Burnley from going straight back down to the Third Division.

Everton

Burnley accepted £300,000 for the 19-year-old Steven who joined Everton in the summer of 1983. He made his debut at the beginning of the following season, which proved a watershed campaign for Kendall's men. Despite finishing in 7th position in the Football League Championship, the season – and Kendall's job – was saved by two excellent cup runs. Steven was not selected by Kendall for the 1984 Football League Cup Final (a defeat to local rivals Liverpool after a replay), but by the time Everton lined back up at Wembley for the 1984 FA Cup Final two months later, he was in the team. Watford were the opponents, and Steven played his part in the second goal of Everton's 2–0 success. As he ventured down the flank, Steven sent in an early, high and very awkward ball towards the Watford penalty area, which Everton centre forward Andy Gray…

A very successful season at club level for Steven was completed when, in February 1985, he was called up by England coach Bobby Robson to make his debut in a qualifier for the 1986 World Cup against Northern Ireland. He stayed in the side for the next three games, scoring his first goal in a friendly win over the Republic of Ireland and contributing to a brace of drawn qualifiers versus Romania and Finland. When he was awarded his fifth cap against Italy at the beginning of a summer mini-tournament in North America, he was joined behind him by his Everton teammate Gary Stevens, therefore transferring an effective partnership to the international stage. However, Steven soon had a rival for the right flank as Robson began to explore various combinations for his wide men. Chris Waddle was a more flamboyant and explosive player than Steven, but Robson often preferred the consistency and team play of Steven on the right wing and he became a frequent choice as a result. Steven scored his second England goal in a 5–0 thumping of the USA in Los Angeles at the conclusion of the summer tour. In January 1986 he scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win over Egypt in Cairo and continued to be selected as the World Cup neared, and was selected by Robson for the squad which would represent England in Mexico at the World Cup. Robson preferred Waddle as his one orthodox wide man for the opening game against Portugal, but England played poorly and lost 1–0. No changes were made, despite this…

Since he retired, Steven has worked in the media. In his early career, he worked as a co-commentator for the BBC during their coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Steven now acts as a pundit for RTÉ Sport in Ireland, having covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany for the broadcaster. He is also a regular contributor to RTÉ's coverage of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, acting both as analyst and co-commentator. He contributed to RTÉ Sport's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Backed by local sports stars, Trevor Steven is spearheading a new charity encouraging construction workers to talk about mental health. The Mindflow initiative has been endorsed by football legends Gary Lineker, Robbie Fowler, Stuart Pearce, Ally McCoist, Peter Reid and Viv Anderson. The initiative was launched at the National Football Museum in Manchester earlier this month, and attended by Mindflow Ambassadors: Manchester City’s David White, Paul Dickov and Paul Lake, Tottenham Hotspur’s Paul Stewart, and Sheffield United’s Curtis Woodhouse. Through Mindflow’s ‘Talk Football Talk Mental Health’ programme, current and ex-football players will visit construction sites to deliver mental health awareness sessions, encourage conversation, and recruit volunteers from each session to train as mental health first aiders. The Ambassadors have all publicly shared their challenges around mental health and have firsthand experience to support the construction industry.