Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images
There are few sights that captured the chaos of 2010s Everton quite like Kevin Mirallas dropping his shoulder on the left wing, cutting inside onto his right foot, and leaving Goodison Park completely breathless.
The Belgian signed for the club back in 2012, with Everton paying a relatively modest £6 million to Olympiacos for his services. He was said to have turned down Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, which got plenty of people excited.
He would go on to spend seven years at the club, making 186 appearances, scoring 38 goals and providing 35 assists along the way.
It was a relatively successful spell. But the numbers alone don’t tell the true story of his legacy. He was the quintessential modern footballing maverick. Someone who could torment defenders in a Merseyside derby one week, and then take a penalty off his own teammate Leighton Baines the next…
Peak era under Roberto Martinez
Mirallas came to Everton on the watch of David Moyes. But it was under Roberto Martinez that he started to really make an impact.
The Spaniard introduced a more possession-heavy style compared to the Scot, with the central midfielders key to the shift. But Mirallas was also very important as an outlet.
The 2013/14 season saw him score eight goals and chip in six assists. That tally of six perhaps ought to have been higher since he created 61 goalscoring chances that term.
It was a season filled with sparkling moments. His full-pitch solo counter-attack goal against Stoke City, and an exquisite, dipping free-kick that snatched all three points against Aston Villa to name just a couple. Towards the end of that campaign, opposition full-backs knew they were in for a really tough time facing Mirallas.
But while he showed he could make things happen for the Toffees, Mirallas did also have less desirable traits.
The dark arts and the Merseyside derby
Mirallas was all about pace, flair, and creativity. But he also had a fiery side, which largely endeared him to the Goodison faithful.
In the Merseyside derby in November 2013, Mirallas got incredibly lucky not to be sent off for a challenge on Luis Suarez. His reckless, knee-high challenge left Liverpool furious, but Mirallas somehow avoided an early bath.
To compound things for Liverpool, Mirallas went on to score in that game, equalising after the Reds had taken the lead through Philippe Coutinho. The pulsating game finished 3-3.
He was, of course, criticised by neutrals and the media for that challenge on Suarez. He should undoubtedly have been sent off. But it was also a moment that showed Everton fans he wasn’t just about creativity and flair. He played on the edge, he was ready to get stuck in, and he was ready to fight, and his popularity started to really increase. But there were other episodes involving Mirallas that sometimes made it a challenge to back Mirallas.
Earlier that year, Mirallas was again embroiled in some dark arts, squirting water into the face of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere as the players were going off at half-time. A tangle involving most players on the pitch ensued after Wilshere’s angry reaction.
And later in his Everton stint, in March 2016, Mirallas did finally get a red card. Against West Ham United he was booked for diving, and then just minutes later, the frustrated star foolishly clattered Aaron Cresswell to earn a second yellow and his marching orders.
The stolen penalty
Being a maverick means there is always potential for things not to go entirely smoothly.
West Bromwich Albion came to Goodison Park in January 2015, and Everton were really in need of three points after making a stuttering start to the campaign. And the Toffees got a boost when they were awarded a penalty kick.
Leighton Baines usually took penalties and was very reliable. So fans couldn’t quite believe it when Mirallas wrestled the ball away from the full-back to take it. The likes of Steven Naismith and Romelu Lukaku were frantically trying to reason with Mirallas, wanting Baines to take the spot-kick.
Their protestations fell on deaf ears though, and Mirallas stepped up. And, of course, he missed, lashing the ball against the post.
That was a bit of a turning point for the player, whose own ego cost the Toffees. Martinez actually took Mirallas off at half-time under the guise of a hamstring injury. Mirallas was blasted in the media for his selfishness, and the move was also unpopular with many Everton fans.
Remembering the magic over the madness
Although Mirallas did often frustrate during his seven years on Merseyside, there is no denying that for £6 million, he was a cracking signing on the whole.
He provided so much threat, and his unpredictability allowed him to constantly make things happen for Everton. On his day, he was a nightmare for opposition full-backs.
Today is Mirallas’ birthday and across Everton’s socials, with the club marking the occasion, a lot of fans have shown their appreciation for their former winger. And that show of appreciation is deserved, because there have not been many like him in the blue of Everton since his departure.