.jpg) Osman playing forEverton in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leon Osman[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-05-17)17 May 1981 (age 43)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wigan, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| 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 professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. He spent almost all of his career atEverton, making 433 appearances and scoring 57 goals. Earlier in his career he spent time onloan atFootball League clubsCarlisle United andDerby County. Osman earned two international caps for theEngland national team, making his debut at the age of 31.
Osman was born inWigan, Greater Manchester, to a Turkish Cypriot father and a British mother,[3] and raised inSkelmersdale, Lancashire.[4] He attendedUp Holland High School andWinstanley College.[5]
Osman joined the Everton Academy as a boy,[citation needed] and was part of the team that won the 1998FA Youth Cup.[1] Following the cup victory, he sustained a knee injury which kept him from playing for a year.[6]
He wasloaned toCarlisle United of theThird Division in October 2002,[citation needed] making his first-team debut on the 5th by playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 home defeat toTorquay United.[7] He scored once for the team in a league fixture againstMacclesfield Town on 19 October to ensure a 2–2 draw atMoss Rose,[8] and twice againstOldham Athletic in theFootball League Trophy three days later in a 4–3 away victory.[9] On returning to Everton in January, he made hisPremier League debut in a 4–3 defeat atTottenham Hotspur on 12 January 2003, replacingLi Tie in added time.[10] His only other Everton appearance of the season was hisGoodison Park debut on 26 April, replacingSteve Watson at the end of a 2–1 win overAston Villa.[11]
Osman was granted a one-year extension to his Everton contract in the summer of 2003, but failed to break into the first team until the end of the 2003–04 season.[citation needed] Instead, he was again loaned out, this time toDerby County in theFirst Division.[12] He had an integral role in Derby's successful bid to avoid relegation,[13] and managerGeorge Burley tried to buy him from Everton.[14] Instead, Osman returned to his parent club with three matches remaining in Everton's season.[citation needed] ManagerDavid Moyes gave Osman his first start on 1 May 2004 atWolverhampton Wanderers, and he headed Everton into the lead within three minutes from aJames McFadden cross, although they eventually lost 2–1.[15]
Osman became a first-team regular in 2004–05,[13] playing on the right wing of a 4–1–4–1 formation.[citation needed] He finished the season with seven goals including two in a match againstAston Villa.[16] In the 2005–06 season, Osman's place in the Everton's first team was challenged by the new signingSimon Davies.[17] However, Osman was able to establish himself as a first-team regular by 2006–07, a season in which made 37 appearances and scored three goals.[13]
His start to the 2007–08 season began with two goals in consecutive wins againstWigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur.[citation needed] His appearance in the starting 11 for Everton was threatened by the arrival of South African loan-signingSteven Pienaar.[citation needed] Osman scored his first goal in a UEFA competition on 25 October 2007, Everton's second in a 3–1UEFA Cup group stage win over Greek clubLarissa at Goodison Park.[18] His shot from 22 yards helped Everton to the top of the group and was voted Everton's Goal of the Season.[citation needed] Osman scored both goals in Everton's 2–0 win overFulham on the final day of the season to secure Everton 5th place in the Premier League for 2008–09.[citation needed] At the end of the season, he started in the2009 FA Cup Final atWembley Stadium, being replaced byDan Gosling in the 82nd minute of the 2–1 defeat toChelsea.[19]
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The following season Osman captained Everton for the first time in aLeague Cup match away toHull City scoring once in the 4–0 victory.[citation needed] In April 2010, Osman was named man of the match in two consecutive matches.[citation needed] He also ended the 2010–11 Premier League season with four goals.[20]
In March 2013, in a match against reigning championsManchester City, Osman made his 300th Everton start.[citation needed] A long-range goal scored in the match was his eighth of the season, a personal record,[citation needed] and his 50th goal for the club.[21] In December, Osman also scored on his 300th Premier League appearance during a 4–1 win over Fulham.[22] Later in the same month he brokeDavid Unsworth's Everton Premier League appearance record, reaching 303 appearances.[23] He featured in every league match in the2013–14 season, the first under managerRoberto Martínez, the only Everton player to do so.[24] To mark his long service, atestimonial match againstFC Porto was held as part of Everton's pre-season schedule for the2014–15 season.[25]
On 6 November 2014, he signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at Everton until the summer of 2016.[26] Later that day, he opened the scoring in Everton's 3–0UEFA Europa League group stage win againstLille.[27] He scored on his 400th appearance for the club, netting the winner in a 2–1 victory overWest Ham United[28] His contract expired at the end of2015–16, and Osman was released by Everton.[29] He retired from playing soon after.[30]
Osman represented England at U16 level in the 1997–98 season.[31] On 14 November 2012, at the age of 31, Osman earned his first senior call-up to theEngland squad for a friendly fixture againstSweden.[citation needed] Osman started in central midfield for his country in a 4–2 defeat against Sweden, in which he played the full 90 minutes.[32] On 31 January 2013, Osman was named in the England squad for the second time for the friendly fixture against Brazil on 6 February 2013, though he was left on the substitutes' bench for the match.[33] Osman received his first competitive international call up after being named in the England squad on 14 March 2013 for the World Cup qualifiers againstSan Marino andMontenegro.[34] Osman made his competitive England debut against San Marino.[35]
Since retiring from football Osman has been a pundit for Sky Sports News, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and BBC Radio Five Live.[36]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton | 2000–01[37] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2001–02[38] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03[39] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04[40] | Premier League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2004–05[41] | Premier League | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 35 | 7 | ||
| 2005–06[42] | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 42 | 4 | |
| 2006–07[43] | Premier League | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08[44] | Premier League | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7[b] | 2 | 39 | 7 | |
| 2008–09[45] | Premier League | 34 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 43 | 7 | |
| 2009–10[46] | Premier League | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7[c] | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2010–11[47] | Premier League | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12[48] | Premier League | 30 | 4[d] | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13[49] | Premier League | 36 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 42 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14[50] | Premier League | 38 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15[51] | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[c] | 1 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2015–16[52] | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 352 | 43 | 32 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 433 | 57 | ||
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2002–03[39] | Third Division | 12 | 1 | — | — | 3[e] | 2 | 15 | 3 | ||
| Derby County (loan) | 2003–04[40] | First Division | 17 | 3 | — | — | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 381 | 47 | 32 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 28 | 5 | 465 | 63 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
Everton Youth
Everton
Individual
