Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas reflects on the impact and legacy of one of the most important figures in the club's history
Seamus Coleman applauds the fans before the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on May 19, 2022 - the game that saw Everton clinch survival with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Seamus Coleman applauds the fans before the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on May 19, 2022 - the game that saw Everton clinch survival with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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“He had my respect in lots of ways but in particular it would be, when times got tough, he was the first guy to step forward. A legend.”
Those were the words of Leighton Baines as he described Seamus Coleman, the team-mate who flew down the opposite wing to him during David Moyes’ first stint and the colleague he worked with years later to help prevent Everton from sliding into the abyss.
It was fitting that the full-backs who came to define the fearless side created by Moyes would be the pair who oversaw the final game before the Scot returned to the club in January 2025. For the FA Cup match against Peterborough United the pair rolled back the clock as they kicked every ball from the dugout in the hours after the departure of Sean Dyche.
Now it is Coleman’s exit that Everton must prepare for, the 37-year-old announcing he will bring an end to a 17-and-a-half year career in Royal Blue when the season concludes at Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.
Seventeen years, 434 appearances - the 10th highest in club history if, and surely when, he gets the chance to say goodbye to his adoring supporters against Sunderland on Sunday. ‘Sixty grand’ as the famous song about the paltry fee the Blues paid Sligo Rovers goes, and 140 games as captain. There are plenty of numbers available to show the magnitude of Coleman’s time on Merseyside but none truly do his impact justice. Words cannot do that, either.
There was little surprise about his plans to call it a day - at Everton at least, his expiring contract and struggles with injury over recent seasons made it a clear possibility these next few weeks could be his last. But confirmation of that reality was still hard to process. There will have been no shortage of supporters with a lump in their throat on Friday morning and there will be few with dry eyes at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
That is because Seamus is far more than ‘just’ a player. His impact at Everton has been substantial on the pitch but off it, well, would there still be an Everton had it not been for the talismanic defender? It is a fair question to ask.
Two factors proved inspirational as the Blues took successive seasons to their final home games, avoiding the Championship by the barest of margins. They were the supporters and their captain, influential in different ways but who, together, were the saviours of a club that was a mess.
Such was the financial plight of Everton in the final years of Farhad Moshiri’s ownership it is not sensationalist to suggest relegation would have been catastrophic, perhaps fatal.
There is no doubt Coleman is one of the great captains of the Premier League era. Others may have silverware to back up their case for greatness but few, if any, have saved a club. His humility, class and compassion stood him in good stead during that period. I have had the pleasure of dealing with him from Finch Farm to the mixed zones of Premier League grounds to Ireland, when I covered his emotional return to Sligo. The words would embarrass him but it was always clear I was in the presence of someone special.
I am not the only one who felt that way. After the famous win over Crystal Palace, Frank Lampard hailed Coleman - who was on the pitch that night - as “one of the best people I have ever met”. In the relegation battle the next year, Coleman was again pivotal on and off the pitch - his extraordinary winner over Leeds United was a crucial boost for Dyche. The abiding image of Coleman, for me, was at the King Power Stadium weeks later when, in the relegation six pointer with Leicester City, he ignored the pain of his devastated knee to fist pump the away end to galvanise them from his stretcher.
Seamus Coleman and Frank Lampard after Everton confirm their Premier League survival status
Seamus Coleman and Frank Lampard after Everton confirm their Premier League survival status
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There were plenty of big moments in which he stepped up, but there were smaller ones too. At home to Palace the following September, the injured right-back delivered a half time team talk to his trailing side that sparked a fightback and a first win of that season. He set standards day in, day out at Finch Farm: “He'd be the first to make sure that he wouldn't allow anybody to get away with anything”, Moyes said on Friday. “It wouldn't matter who it was, it wouldn't matter who walked in the door, Jack Grealish, you name it. He wouldn't allow them if they didn't train right or he didn't think that they were getting out in time for training or something, he would make sure they were all well aware. He is actually a manager's dream, he really is.”
Grealish was one of the many team-mates to take to social media in the wake of Coleman’s announcement, writing: “Lucky enough to play under some great captains but you are right up there Seamie.” He echoed Baines’ sentiment, also calling him a legend.
It is tough to imagine this is the end of Coleman’s Everton journey. While he will take some time to consider his next move, with the Republic of Ireland international keen to carry on playing, Moyes told the pre-Sunderland press conference “there will always be a desk for him” at the training ground.
He may well take that up in the future but not quite now. Moyes joked with me earlier in the season that he would employ Coleman as the groundsman if that was what it took to keep him in close proximity and the club did offer him opportunities.
But across recent weeks it became increasingly obvious where Coleman’s thoughts lay as he discussed his next steps in private with Moyes.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 27: David Moyes, Manager of Everton, interacts with his player Seamus Coleman prior to the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Everton and Mansfield Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on August 27, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
David Moyes interacts with Seamus Coleman prior to the Carabao Cup match between Everton and Mansfield Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on August 27, 2025(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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The 63-year-old said: “We've been speaking about it for maybe a month, well more than a month probably, but certainly a bit more detailed in recent weeks. We've sort of been getting to the ins and outs of why and where and what we're going to do. We've had some private conversations over the recent weeks.”
Moyes, when I asked his reaction when Coleman confirmed his intentions, added: “Well, and he'll know, if there's one thing I do, I speak absolutely bluntly to Seamus because he wouldn't want it any other way. Some things I've not agreed with and some things I certainly have agreed with. Overall, I admire Seamus greatly for who he is and what he's going to do.”
Where he will go next will be a source of intrigue this summer. He has struggled for consistent minutes for Everton due to injuries and the sight of him kicking a water bottle at Old Trafford after heading off injured earlier in the season was hard to take - as was his early withdrawal in the final match at Goodison Park last season. Like against Manchester United, he lasted barely 20 minutes and at that point, against Southampton, his future was still uncertain.
He has still shown he can compete when fit, though. This season that has typically been during Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign but there have been glimpses at Everton over recent times, a highlight being the draw at Manchester City last season, during which his interactions with Erling Haaland in the build up to a crucial penalty proved influential, with the Norway international then having his effort saved by Jordan Pickford.
Conversations will quickly turn to his legacy but for now, Sunday will be about celebrating a player who has given his career to Everton and a person who is every bit the hero everyone says he is.