Tony Hibbert

Anthony James Hibbert (born 20 February 1981) is an English retired footballer.

Not to be confused with Tony Hibbert (British Army officer) or Tony Hibbert (musician).

Tony Hibbert
Hibbert training with Everton in 2009
Personal information
Full name Anthony James Hibbert[1]
Date of birth (1981-02-20) 20 February 1981[2]
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Right-back
Youth career
1991–1998 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2016 Everton 265 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Originally a midfielder, Hibbert converted to play at right-back. He spent his entire career with Everton, having joined the club in 1991. He made his senior debut for Everton in 2001, and went on to make 328 appearances for the club in all competitions. With Hibbert being a one-club man and coupled with his down-to-earth demeanour, this helped to earn him cult hero status among Everton fans.

Club career

Hibbert was born in Liverpool and brought up in Huyton. Growing up as an Everton supporter, Hibbert joined the club as a boy.[4] He was a member of the Everton youth team that won the FA Youth Cup in 1998 beating Blackburn Rovers 5–3 on aggregate.[5] Three years later, he made his first-team debut for the club in a Premier League match against West Ham United on 31 March 2001,[5] in which a high challenge from Stuart Pearce into Hibbert's chest saw Everton earn a penalty.[6]

In the 2002–03 season, in the wake of an injury to fellow right-back Steve Watson, Hibbert became a regular member of the Everton first team. The Actim Index rated him the best English right-back in the 2004–05 season.[7]

He missed the end of the 2005–06 season with a hernia problem and his preparations for the 2006–07 season were hampered after he was infected by cryptosporidium parasite.[8] Hibbert's 2006–07 season was seriously disrupted by injury. He again played regularly in the 2007–08 and the 2008–09 seasons.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, Hibbert was Everton's longest-serving player,[6] the only player who had been at the club throughout the entire reign of former manager David Moyes,[4] and had appeared in more competitive European games than any other Everton player.[9] In addition, he had not scored in a competitive game during his professional career.[10] Alongside his commitment to the club, the goal drought contributed to his cult hero status among Everton fans, to the extent that a banner reading "If Hibbert Scores, We Riot" was displayed at the 2009 FA Cup semi-final.[11]

Hibbert was awarded a testimonial match for Everton following 10 years of service. The match was played on 8 August 2012 against Greek side AEK Athens, the team against whom Hibbert made his eighteenth appearance in all European competitions for Everton, equalling a club record.[12] Hibbert scored Everton's fourth goal, a free kick, in a 4–1 win prompting a pitch invasion.[13]

Hibbert's 2012–13 season was littered with injuries. In the early part of the season he suffered neck and calf injuries which kept him out of action until November.[14] He only returned for a few games before a recurrence of the calf injury forced him to have surgery which meant he did not play again until he came on as a substitute in Everton's final home game of the season.[15] The match was manager David Moyes' last home game in charge of the side following his decision to end his 11-year reign to join Manchester United. Hibbert's appearance meant that he was the only remaining player at the club who had featured in Moyes' first squad.[16]

The form of Séamus Coleman who was later named the club's 2013–14 Player of the Season kept Hibbert out of the first team to such an extent that he only made one league appearance during the campaign.[5] Despite his limited first-team opportunities, manager Roberto Martínez said he was ready to offer a new deal to Hibbert.[17] In July 2014, he signed a two-year contract with the club.[18][19]

Hibbert saw very little gametime come his way over the following two seasons. At the end of the 2015–16 season he was released by the club after 25 years, of which 18 were as a professional Everton player.[20] He announced his retirement shortly afterwards.

International career

Hibbert was called up to the England under-21 team in October 2002 for games against Slovakia and Macedonia but he did not play in either game due to a hamstring injury.

Career statistics

Source:[21]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Everton 2000–01 Premier League 300000—30
2001–02 Premier League 1001010—120
2002–03 Premier League 2400010—250
2003–04 Premier League 2503030—310
2004–05 Premier League 3601030—400
2005–06 Premier League 29040104[lower-alpha 1]0380
2006–07 Premier League 1300000—130
2007–08 Premier League 24010207[lower-alpha 2]0340
2008–09 Premier League 17060001[lower-alpha 2]0240
2009–10 Premier League 20010207[lower-alpha 3]0300
2010–11 Premier League 2001010—220
2011–12 Premier League 3202020—360
2012–13 Premier League 600000—60
2013–14 Premier League 102010—40
2014–15 Premier League 4000104[lower-alpha 3]090
2015–16 Premier League 100000—10
Career total 26502201802303280
  1. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League qualifying and two appearances in the UEFA Cup.
  2. Appearances in the UEFA Cup.
  3. Appearances in the UEFA Europa League.

Personal life

Hibbert was the victim of a high-profile burglary in 2006.[22] In 2013, he purchased a 33-acre French carp fishery on the outskirts of Reims called Lac de Premiere.[23]

Honours

Everton

See also

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. "Tony Hibbert Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  3. "Tony Hibbert". Everton Football Club. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  4. Hart, Simon (28 October 2011). "Tony Hibbert: True blue". The Independent. London. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  5. "Tony Hibbert player profile". Everton F.C. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  6. Lewis, Andy (31 March 2011). "Exclusive Hibbo interview". Everton F.C. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  7. McLeod, Scott (25 May 2005). "Trio make hit list". Everton F.C. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  8. "Everton defender has rare illness". BBC Sport. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2006.
  9. Bould, Giulia (16 December 2009). "Hibbert's Captain Call". Everton F.C. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  10. Spencer, Jamie (14 December 2017). "Goalless Wonders: 8 Players Who Have Played the Most Premier League Games Without Ever Scoring". 90min. Minute Media. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. Tuft, Andrew (1 April 2011). "Club Focus – Everton – More takeover talk as Hibbert marks a decade as a Toffee". A Different League. Different League Media. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  12. Alston, Daniel (12 June 2012). "Hibbo Testimonial Announced". Everton F.C. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  13. "Tony Hibbert: Goal in Everton testimonial "a fairytale"". BBC Sport. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  14. Lloyd, Lyndon (28 November 2012). "Everton 1–1 Arsenal". ToffeeWeb. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  15. "Everton duo Kevin Mirallas and Tony Hibbert ruled out for a few weeks by injury". Sky Sports. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  16. "Match Report: Everton 2–0 West Ham United". Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  17. "Transfer News: Everton to offer long-serving defender Tony Hibbert a new deal". Sky Sports. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  18. "Premier League: Roberto Martinez confirms Tony Hibbert in Everton contract talks". Sky Sports. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  19. "Transfer news: Tony Hibbert signs new two-year contract with Everton". Sky Sports. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  20. "Trio Included On Released List". Everton F.C. 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  21. "Tony Hibbert". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  22. Barkham, Patrick (5 October 2009). "The away-day robberies". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  23. "Lac De Premiere | Northern France". Angling International.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  24. "Blackburn Rovers 1–3 Everton". ToffeeWeb. 1 May 1998. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  25. Bevan, Chris (30 May 2009). "Chelsea 2–1 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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