Leighton Baines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Leighton Baines

Baines playing for Everton in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Leighton John Baines
Date of birth	(1984-12-11) 11 December 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Kirkby, England
Height	5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m)
Playing position	Left-back
Club information
Current club	Everton U18
Youth career
	Everton
	Wigan Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2007	Wigan Athletic	145	(4)
2007–2020	Everton	348	(29)
Total		493	(33)
National team
2004–2007	England U21	16	(1)
2010–2015	England	30	(1)
Teams managed
2025	Everton (interim)
Honours  England UEFA European U-21 Championship Bronze 2007 Netherlands
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Leighton John Baines (born 11 December 1984) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. He played as a left-back, a defender who plays on the left side of the field. He is currently an assistant manager for the Premier League club Everton.

Baines started his football journey with Wigan Athletic. He helped them win the Second Division in the 2002–03 season. He was also part of the team that finished second in the Championship in 2004–05. In 2006, Wigan reached the League Cup final.

In 2007, Baines moved to Everton. He helped his new team reach the 2009 FA Cup final in 2009. Leighton Baines played for England's national teams at both under-21 and senior levels. He was chosen for the England squads at UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Baines stopped playing professional football in 2020. After that, he started a career in coaching. He worked in a dual role at Everton, managing their under-18 team and helping young players in the club's Academy. In 2025, he briefly became an interim (temporary) manager. Soon after, he was promoted to the first-team coaching staff.

Early Life and Football Start

Leighton Baines was born in Kirkby, England. He grew up in Kirkby, Merseyside. He first joined the Everton youth system when he was young. Later, as a teenager, he moved to Wigan Athletic to continue his football training.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Wigan Athletic

Baines made his first appearance for Wigan Athletic in 2002. He was part of the team that won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season. This was a big achievement for the club.

He became a regular player when Wigan was promoted to the Premier League in 2004–05. During that season, Baines scored his first goal for the club. It was a long-range shot against Ipswich Town.

Even after helping Wigan get promoted, Baines worried if he was good enough for the Premier League. He signed new contracts with Wigan in 2005. This was despite other big clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal being interested in him. While at Wigan, he played in the 2006 League Cup final, where they lost to Manchester United.

Joining Everton FC

Baines playing for Everton in 2009

In July 2007, Baines turned down a move to Sunderland. The next month, he signed with Everton. The initial fee for his transfer was £5 million.

In his first season at Everton, Baines played 29 matches. His playing time was limited due to an injury. In his second season, he played more often. He was voted Everton's Player of the Month two months in a row in the 2008–09 season.

Baines scored his first goal for Everton on 21 March 2009, against Portsmouth. This was after 57 matches without scoring. In August 2009, he scored a last-minute penalty against his old team, Wigan. A month later, he was the captain for Everton for the first time. This was in a UEFA Europa League match.

In the 2010–11 season, Baines played every minute of Everton's Premier League matches. He also scored seven goals. His great performance earned him several club awards. These included Player of the Season and Goal of the Season. He also made 11 assists, which means he helped his teammates score goals. He was the defender with the most assists in the league that season.

Baines playing for Everton in 2011

Baines scored five goals in the 2011–12 season, with four of them being penalties. He played 99 league matches in a row before an injury ended his season early. His strong performance led to him being named in the PFA's Premier League Team of the Year in 2012. He was the first Everton player to receive this honor in 22 years.

During the 2012–13 season, Baines created 116 chances for his teammates. This was more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. He was again included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2013. He also won Everton's Player of the Season award again. Baines was the only outfield player to play every minute of every Premier League match that season. Manchester United tried to sign him in 2013, but Everton rejected all their offers.

In September 2013, Baines scored two amazing free-kicks against West Ham United. He was only the fifth player since 2006–07 to score two direct free-kicks in one Premier League match. In January 2014, Baines signed a new four-year contract with Everton. He became the first player in Premier League history to score more than 10 penalties without missing any. He scored his 13th penalty in his 300th Premier League appearance. Baines scored five goals and assisted four others in the 2013–14 season. This was the most for any defender in the league.

On 18 September 2014, Baines scored his first European goal for Everton. It was a penalty in a 4–1 win against Wolfsburg. In January 2015, Baines made his 45th Premier League assist. This made him the defender with the most assists in the league's history.

Baines missed the start of the 2015–16 season due to an ankle injury. On 2 January 2017, he scored his 30th Premier League goal. This made him only the third defender to reach this milestone. On 15 April 2017, Baines became the first defender to reach 50 Premier League assists.

Baines scored the winning goal for Everton in a UEFA Europa League match on 27 July 2017. He scored a penalty against Watford on 5 November 2017. This made him Everton's top Premier League penalty scorer.

At the end of the 2018–19 season, Everton offered him a new one-year contract. In his first start of the 2019–20 season, on 18 December 2019, Baines scored a fantastic equalizer from 25 yards. This was in the 91st minute of an EFL Cup match against Leicester City. The match ended in a 2–2 draw, but Everton lost on penalties. Baines announced his retirement from professional football at the end of that season.

International Career

Baines (left, in navy blue) playing for England in 2012

Baines first played for the England under-21s in September 2004. This was in a qualifying match against Austria.

In October 2006, Baines scored an important goal for the England under-21 team against Germany. This helped England win 1–0 in a play-off match. 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. He made his full international debut in a friendly match against Egypt on 3 March 2010. England won that game 3–1. He was chosen for a group of 30 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not make the final squad of 23 players.

Baines made his first competitive international appearance on 4 June 2011. He replaced an injured player in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland. He also assisted a goal for England in that match.

He was named in the squad for UEFA Euro 2012 but did not play in the tournament. In September 2012, he scored his first international goal against Moldova. It was a free kick in a 5–0 win during a World Cup qualification match.

On 30 May 2014, Baines' corner kicks led to two of England's goals in a 3–0 win against Peru. He played in England's first two matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. England lost both games and was eliminated in the first round.

Playing Style

Leighton Baines is known as a "dependable left back." He is especially good at set-pieces (like free kicks) and penalties. When he was younger, Baines played in midfield and attack. He only started playing left back when he joined Wigan.

In 2014, his manager, Roberto Martínez, thought about moving Baines to play as a midfielder. Baines said he would be "excited to give it a go." Baines also held the record for the most assists by a defender in the Premier League. People have also praised him for his crossing, his energy, and his ability to work well with teammates. He was also known for avoiding injuries.

Coaching Career

Many people believed that Baines would become a coach after he stopped playing. Some even thought he might manage Everton one day.

In September 2020, just two months after retiring, Baines became a professional development coach at Everton's academy. In December, the manager of the under-23s team was very impressed with Baines' coaching. He felt Baines had a big impact on the young players. In October 2021, Baines became assistant manager of the Everton U18 team. Then, in July 2022, he became the manager of the Everton U18 team.

In January 2025, the former manager left the club. Baines became Everton's men's first team interim (temporary) manager alongside Séamus Coleman. Under their management, Everton won a match 2-0 against Peterborough. This helped them advance to the 4th round of the FA Cup.

Personal Life

Leighton Baines was born and grew up in Kirkby, Merseyside. He went to St Joseph The Worker Catholic Primary School and All Saints' RC High School. He started playing football at a local primary school. When he was 10, he was shy and had trouble playing for a Sunday League team. Baines is married to Rachel and they have three children. He is also a close friend of musician Miles Kane and enjoys playing the guitar himself.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baines goal.

List of international goals scored by Leighton Baines

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	7 September 2012	Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova	10	Moldova	5–0	5–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Wigan Athletic

• Football League Championship runner-up: 2004–05
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Everton

• FA Cup runner-up: 2008–09

Individual Awards

• PFA Team of the Year: 2011–12 Premier League, 2012–13 Premier League
• Wigan Athletic Player of the Season: 2006–07
• Everton Player of the Season: 2010–11, 2012–13
• Everton Players' Player of the Season: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13
• Everton Goal of the Season: 2010–11
• Sports Illustrated Premier League Team of the Decade: 2010–2019

See also

In Spanish: Leighton Baines para niños