By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Everton captain Phil Jagielka will leave the club this summer after 12 years at Goodison Park.
Having joined from Sheffield United in 2007 for £4m, the 36-year-old centre-back went on to score 19 goals in 386 appearances for the Toffees. He succeeded the retiring Phil Neville as club captain in 2013.”It’s been hard to confirm my situation for next season as that decision hadn’t been fully made by the club until now,” Jagielka said on Instagram. “Unfortunately my journey at Everton has come to an end after 12 fantastic seasons, I have been lucky enough to play over 380 games and lucky enough to be club captain for six years. “All I can say is thanks to all the players I’ve played alongside, all the staff that have helped me in their own way, the chairman and of course the amazing fans.” Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright called Jagielka “one of Everton’s greatest servants”. He added: “From the day he joined us in July 2007, he has epitomised what it is to be an Evertonian and will remain someone who embodies the spirit and values of the Blues.”
Jagielka won 40 caps for England between 2008 and 2016, scoring three goals. He made two appearances at the 2014 World Cup, two years after being in the squad for Euro 2012 but not playing. He made just seven appearances for Everton during the 2018-19 Premier League season after falling out of favour under Marco Silva. His only goal of the campaign came in the Toffees’ 1-0 victory over Arsenal on 7 April 2019. Jagielka scored the winning penalty against Manchester United in the 2009 FA Cup semi-final shootout, only to miss the final – which they lost to Chelsea – after rupturing his cruciate ligament. While at Sheffield United, the club where he started his career, Jagielka twice ended up in goal for lengthy periods – against Millwall in 2004 and Arsenal in 2006 – with the Blades winning both games.
