Everton academy product Ross Barkley was the shining light of the club after progressing through their ranks – though that ended in tears as he left for Chelsea in January 2018.
Ross Barkley, a Wavertree native, joined David Moyes‘ side as an 11-year-old and was named on the bench at just 16, before making his Everton debut aged 17.
A strong number of years at Goodison Park saw him become a first-team regular for four years, though he departed for Chelsea in 2018 for just £15million.
And Barkley has admitted that he cried prior to leaving, given his love for the club and the way their 13-year affiliation came to an end.
Everton v Stoke City - Premier League
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Ross Barkley has opened up on his Everton exit
Speaking to The Athletic, Ross Barkley stated that although he wanted to stay at Everton for life, needing to try something new and away from the city he was born in was also a factor.
And the fact that he wasn’t able to play for the Toffees in his prime, despite Everton having a toxic environment at the time of his move, brought him to tears. Barkley said:
“I was crying. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stay at Everton for life, or if I needed to get away from my comfort zone.
“I cried about leaving because of my love for the club. It changed my life. The support from everyone coming through — from the fans, to the staff who were father figures, to the kit men who I’d be in their room every day having banter, but then knowing that Everton weren’t going to have me in my prime, was difficult.
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“But I had to make a decision because when I left, Everton were dipping. It was a little bit toxic at that point. There were lots of signings coming in and not doing so well. There was just so much change in a short space of time.
“Being away from my mum, sister and friends helped me grow. Maybe I wouldn’t have grown the way I did if I had stayed at Everton. Coming away from Liverpool to walking around London, the odd taxi man would put his thumb out the window, but because everyone’s rushing about, I could just walk about and be in my own space.”
The move has worked out well for Barkley. He’s played for both Chelsea and Aston Villa in the Champions League since, as well as moving abroad to Nice and broadening his horizons – though it’s a shame he wasn’t a one-club man with Everton.
Everton v Stoke City - Premier League
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Ross Barkley has been Everton’s best youth product since Wayne Rooney
Everton have always had a strong academy, but their expectations were perhaps blown out of the water when Wayne Rooney came through the ranks at just 16 years of age, bursting onto the England scene and eventually leaving for Manchester United.
He’s arguably England’s best-ever export, let alone Everton’s, and players have still come through the academy since his departure. However, they’ve been few and far between, with Barkley being the pick of the bunch.
Anthony Gordon has also been a Finch Farm product, but whilst he’s doing well after a move to Newcastle United, Barkley made 179 appearances for the Toffees, 100 for Chelsea, a further 58 for Aston Villa and played a starring role at Luton Town – and he’s closing in on 300 Premier League outings.
Gordon only has 208 first-team appearances and although he’s slowly becoming an England star, he’s got a way to go to match Barkley’s credentials.