Where Are They Now? The final Everton XI that Wayne Rooney played in before joining Man Utd
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After 13 years Wayne Rooney has returned to Everton, having become a legend at Manchester United.
The forward’s final few weeks of his first spell at the Toffees is marred with controversy amid stories of a transfer request and issues with then-manager David Moyes, and it’s easy to forget just what happened in his final game with Everton.
Rooney was named in the starting XI in May 2004 for an away match with City, only for the side that had struggled all campaign to best Everton 5-1 in an embarrassing showing for the forward and his teammates.
The now 31-year-old probably won’t want to remember too much about that afternoon but with Rooney set for his second debut for Everton in the very near future, Squawka has taken a look at what happened to the team that played for the Toffees that day.
Nigel Martyn
Age: 50
Everton appearances: 100
Clubs played for: Bristol Rovers (1987-1989), Crystal Palace (1989-1996), Leeds (1996-2003), Everton (2003-2006)
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Martyn had offers to join both Everton and Chelsea in 2003 from Leeds, and opted for the Toffees. Although he was originally supposed to be the back-up an injury to Richard Wright saw Martyn take the starting XI spot.
The goalkeeper was in the side for Rooney’s final match before his departure in 2004 and the year after showed arguably his finest ever form, at 38-years-old, to help the Toffees secure fourth in the Premier League.
Sadly an ankle injury forced Martyn to retire in June 2006, as then-Everton boss David Moyes hailed the goalkeeper as his “greatest ever signing”.
Steve Watson
Age: 43
Everton appearances: 137
Clubs played for: Newcastle (1990-1998), Aston Villa (1998-2000), Everton (2000-2005), West Brom (2005-2007), Sheffield Wednesday (2007-2009)
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Watson’s time with Everton was marred by injuries but arguably he enjoyed his best spell in the 2003-2004 season, although he won’t have enjoyed this particular match.
The versatile Englishman would stay at Goodison Park a year longer than Rooney did in his first spell, before departing for West Brom in 2005.
A move to Sheffield Wednesday followed in 2007, following a loan, but he was released two years later amid ongoing injury problems. Watson stopped playing football and is currently the assistant manager at National League side Macclesfield Town.
Alan Stubbs
Age: 45
Everton appearances: 180
Clubs played for: Bolton Wanderers (1990-1996), Celtic (1996-2001), Everton (2001-2005), Sunderland (2005-2006), Everton (2006-2008), Derby County (2008)
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An Evertonian through and through, Stubbs finally got the chance to play for his boyhood club in 2001 when signed from Celtic, and remained with the side until 2005 when he surprisingly rejected a new deal.
He was back six months later however, re-signing from Sunderland in January 2006 and formed a vital part of the side until his second departure in January 2006, with a transfer to Derby County.
Injuries forced Stubbs into retirement in August 2008 but he returned to Everton as Under-21s manager, where he worked until getting the chance to manage Hibernian in 2014. Since then he has also coached Rotherham United, but was sacked just two months into his run in 2016.
David Weir
Age: 47
Everton appearances: 269
Clubs played for: Falkirk (1992-1996), Heart of Midlothian (1996-1999), Everton (1999-2007), Rangers (2007-2012)
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A stalwart member of the Everton team for almost eight years, Weir was allowed to leave in January 2007 to link up with former manager Walter Smith at Rangers.
The defender, despite his advancing years, continued to be a first choice defender for the Scottish side and helped the club to the 2011 SPL title in the week of his 41st birthday.
He quit playing for Rangers in January 2012 and moved into coaching. Weir returned to Everton in a coaching capacity and managed Sheffield United in 2013, and is now working as an assistant at Nottingham Forest after stints with Brentford and Rangers.
Tony Hibbert
Age: 36
Everton appearances: 329
Clubs played for: Everton (1998-2016)
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A true one-club player, Hibbert spent his entire career with Everton and became a club icon, although he did fail to score a competitive goal in his 16 years in the first team.
The then-versatile midfielder was at left-back for the last game of the 2003-2004 season but would play at right-back for most of his career, and was the club’s first choice until 2012.
He struggled with injuries and the rise of Seamus Coleman saw Hibbert reduced to bit-part player, particularly under Roberto Martinez. He left the club in 2016 at the expiration of his contract.
James McFadden
Age: 34
Everton appearances: 147
Clubs played for: Motherwell (2000-2003), Everton (2003-2008), Birmingham City (2008-2011), Everton (2011-2012), Sunderland (2012-2013), Motherwell (2013-2014), St Johnstone (2014-2015), Motherwell (2015-2017)
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McFadden gained international significance for a stunning goal for Scotland in a 1-0 win against France in 2007, but that was the pinnacle of the forward’s playing career.
He left Everton in 2008 for a spell at Birmingham but returned three years later for a brief period. A year at Sunderland followed before McFadden returned to Motherwell, his first club, and then joined St Johnstone.
McFadden was back at Motherwell in 2015 and was given assistant manager responsibilities for the 2016-2017. However he was allowed to leave the club this summer.
Lee Carsley
Age: 43
Everton appearances: 199
Clubs played for: Derby County (1994-1999), Blackburn Rovers (1999-2000), Coventry City (2000-2002), Everton (2002-2008), Birmingham City (2008-2010), Coventry City (2010-2011)
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A consistent midfield performer for Everton, Carsley departed the club after rejecting a new deal in 2008 and opted to sign for Birmingham, where he spent two years, before ending his career with a second stint at Coventry.
The Republic of Ireland international instantly moved into coaching and became an assistant at Coventry, and took caretaker charge of the team on a couple of occasions before leaving in 2013.
He was given the chance to be Brentford head coach in 2015 but departed just a couple of months later, and is now Manchester City’s Under-18s manager, having taken the role last year.
Joseph Yobo
Age: 36
Everton appearances: 259
Clubs played for: Standard Liege (1998-2001), Marseille (2001-2003), Tenirife (2001-2002 loan), Everton (2002-2012), Fenerbahce (2010-2014), Norwich City (2014 loan)
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Despite playing this match in midfield Yobo became one of Everton’s finest defenders as he helped the Toffees consistently challenge for European qualification.
Sadly a difficult 2009-2010 season saw the Nigerian loaned to Fenerbahce and, after a two-year temporary stint, that deal became permanent in 2012.
A return to the Premier League on loan with Norwich followed in 2014 and he was released by Fenerbahce in the summer of the same year.
Leon Osman
Age: 36
Everton appearances: 433
Clubs played for: Everton (2000-2016), Carlisle United (2002-2003 loan), Derby County (2004 loan)
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A bit like Hibbert, Osman established himself as an Everton legend for the sheer time he spent at the club, with the majority of his period at Goodison Park as a first team player.
The 2004-2005 season, after Rooney’s departure, was Osman’s breakthrough year and in each season since then the midfielder played in at least 20 league matches until his final one – the 2015-2016 campaign.
Osman, like Hibbert, was allowed to leave in the summer of 2016 and although he is not technically retired he is yet to find another club – but did say in November 2016 he was open to offers.
Wayne Rooney
Age: 31
Everton appearances: 77
Clubs played for: Everton (2002-2004), Manchester United (2004-2017), Everton (2017-)
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The man himself – Rooney didn’t exactly endear himself to Everton supporters when he handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2004, before securing a £25.6m move to Manchester United as an 18-year-old.
Fast forward 13 years and the teenage boy who left returns an experienced man – one that achieved everything he possibly could at United. He is the club’s record goalscorer with 253 finishes and won every trophy going, including five Premier Leagues.
Now back at Goodison Park after an admittedly flat final two years with United, Rooney will be hoping to show he still has what it takes to perform at the top level with his boyhood side.
Tomasz Radzinski
Age: 43
Everton appearances: 101
Clubs played for: North York Rockets (1990-1993), St. Catharines Wolves (1994), Germinal Ekeren (1994-1998), Anderlecht (1998-2001), Everton (2001-2004), Fulham (2004-2007), Skoda Xanthi (2007-2008), Lierse (2008-2012), Waasland-Beveren (2012)
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Radzinkski was the most expensive Canadian football of all time when Everton paid £4.5m for him back in 2001, but three years later he requested a transfer and the striker was on the move to Fulham.
After another three years at Craven Cottage he departed for Greece with Skoda Xanthi, before signing with Belgian Second Division club Lierse for four seasons.
A brief stint with Waasland-Beveren followed in 2012 and Radzinki enjoyed a spell as Lierse’s sporting director from 2013 until 2015.
Substitutes:
Kevin Campbell
Age: 47
Everton appearances: 164
Clubs played for: Arsenal (1988-1995), Leyton Orient (1989 loan), Leicester City (1989 loan), Nottingham Forest (1995-1998), Trabzonspor (1998-1999), Everton (1999-2005), West Brom (2005-2006), Cardiff City (2006-2007)
Having enjoyed some success but also battled injuries while at Everton, Campbell departed for West Brom in January 2005 and helped the Baggies retain their Premier League status.
He left when they went down in May 2006 and played for Cardiff for a year before retiring in May 2007. He now mainly contributes media work to the sport.
Nick Chadwick
Age: 34
Everton appearances: 14
Clubs played for: Everton (2001-2005), Derby County (2003 loan), Millwall (2003-2004 loan), Plymouth Argyle (2005-2008), Hereford (2008-2009), Shrewsbury Town (2009), Chester City (2009-2010), Barrow (2010-2011), Stockport County (2011-2012), Plymouth Argyle (2011-2014), Tamworth (2013-2014).
A promising youngster, Chadwick failed to hit anywhere close to his potential with Everton and spent his playing career in the lower levels of the English football pyramid.
Tobias Linderoth
Age: 38
Everton appearances: 40
Clubs played for: Hässleholm (1995), Elfsborg (1996-1998), Stabæk (1998-2001), Everton (2001-2004), Copenhagen (2004-2007), Galatasaray (2007-2010)
Everton’s final substitute in this match, Linderoth departed in the same summer as Rooney following a disappointing three years with Everton.
His spells with Copenhagen and Galatasaray were more successful but he ended his playing days in 2010, and now works as a coach with Elfsborg.
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