Leon Osman facts for kids
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Osman playing for Everton in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leon Osman | ||
| Date of birth | 17 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Wigan, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2016 | Everton | 352 | (43) |
| 2002–2003 | → Carlisle United (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2004 | → Derby County (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| Total | 381 | (47) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | England U16 | 5 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | England | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leon Osman (born 17 May 1981) is an English former football player. He played as a midfielder. Leon spent almost his whole career at Everton. He played 433 games for them and scored 57 goals. Earlier in his career, he played for Carlisle United and Derby County on loan. Osman also played two games for the England national team. He made his first appearance for England when he was 31 years old.
Contents
Early Life
Leon Osman was born in Wigan, England. He grew up in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. He went to Up Holland High School and Winstanley College. His father was Turkish Cypriot and his mother was British.
Club Career
Starting Out and Loan Spells
Leon joined the Everton Academy when he was a young boy. He was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup in 1998. After this big win, he got a knee injury. This injury stopped him from playing for a whole year.
In October 2002, Leon was sent on loan to Carlisle United. This meant he played for them for a short time. He played his first game for Carlisle on 5 October. He scored his first goal for them on 19 October. He also scored two goals in another cup game. When he returned to Everton in January 2003, he played his first Premier League game. This was on 12 January 2003 against Tottenham Hotspur.
Leon got his Everton contract extended for another year in 2003. But he still found it hard to get into the main team. So, he went on loan again, this time to Derby County. He played a very important part in helping Derby avoid being moved down to a lower league. The Derby manager, George Burley, even tried to buy him. But Leon went back to Everton. His manager, David Moyes, gave him his first start on 1 May 2004. Leon scored a goal within three minutes of that game.
Becoming a Regular Player
Leon Osman became a regular player for Everton in the 2004–05 season. He played on the right side of the field. He scored seven goals that season, including two in one game against Aston Villa. In the 2006–07 season, he played 37 games and scored three goals. This showed he was a key player for the team.
He started the 2007–08 season by scoring two goals in a row. These goals helped Everton win against Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur. On 25 October 2007, Leon scored his first goal in a European competition. This was in a UEFA Cup game against the Greek team Larissa. His powerful shot from far away was voted Everton's Goal of the Season. Leon scored both goals in Everton's 2–0 win over Fulham at the end of the season. This helped Everton finish 5th in the Premier League. At the end of the 2008–09 season, he played in the 2009 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Everton lost 2–1 to Chelsea in that final.
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In the next season, Leon was captain for Everton for the first time. This was in a League Cup game against Hull City. He scored one goal in their 4–0 win. In April 2010, Leon was named "man of the match" in two games in a row. He also scored four goals in the 2010–11 Premier League season.
In March 2013, Leon played his 300th game for Everton. This was against the champions, Manchester City. He scored a goal from long range in that game. It was his eighth goal of the season, which was his best record. It was also his 50th goal for the club. In December, Leon scored again in his 300th Premier League game. This was in a 4–1 win over Fulham. Later that month, he broke a club record for most Premier League appearances. He played 303 games. He played in every league game in the 2013–14 season. He was the only Everton player to do so under the new manager, Roberto Martínez. To celebrate his many years of service, Everton held a special game for him. This was a testimonial match against FC Porto before the 2014–15 season.
On 6 November 2014, Leon signed a new contract to stay at Everton until summer 2016. Later that day, he scored the first goal in Everton's 3–0 win against Lille in the UEFA Europa League. He scored a winning goal in his 400th game for the club. This was a 2–1 victory over West Ham United. His contract ended at the end of the 2015–16 season. Leon was then released by Everton and retired from playing soon after.
International Career
Leon Osman played for England's Under-16 team in the 1997–98 season. On 14 November 2012, when he was 31, Leon was called up to the England senior squad for the first time. This was for a friendly game against Sweden. Leon started the game in midfield and played the whole 90 minutes. England lost 4–2. On 31 January 2013, Leon was called up to the England squad again. This was for a friendly game against Brazil, but he did not play. Leon got his first call-up for a competitive international game on 14 March 2013. This was for World Cup qualifier games against San Marino and Montenegro. Leon made his first competitive England appearance against San Marino.
After Football
Since he stopped playing football, Leon Osman has worked as a football expert. He has appeared on Sky Sports News, BT Sport, Amazon Prime, and BBC Radio Five Live.
Honours
Everton Youth
- FA Youth Cup: 1997–98
Everton
- FA Cup runner-up: 2008–09
Individual
- Everton Goal of the Season: 2007–08
See also
In Spanish: Leon Osman para niños
