Phil Jagielka

Philip Nikodem Jagielka ( or ; born 17 August 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

He is primarily known for his lengthy tenures at Sheffield United and Everton.

Jagielka came up through the youth ranks at Sheffield United.

Jagielka gave United their first Premier League victory since April 1994 when he hit a 91st minute half-volley against Middlesbrough for a 2–1 win in September 2006.

Despite being recognised as one of United's key players, chairman Kevin McCabe admitted that Jagielka could be sold if the price was high enough.

He was at the academy of Everton as a youngster and spent time training with clubs such as Stoke City and Manchester City, before joining Sheffield United in 1998 at 15 years of age.

He made his first-team debut in 2000.

Jagielka made his way through the youth ranks at Sheffield United before making his first-team debut on 5 May 2000 against Swindon Town in the final First Division match of the 1999–2000 season, whilst still a trainee.

He was rewarded with a professional contract the following day and having progressed well at the start of the following season, he signed a three-year deal with the club in January 2001.

He established himself in the Sheffield United first-team in the 2002–03 season and started to attract the attention of other clubs, including Leeds United, who were linked with a £6 million joint bid for Jagielka and United teammate Michael Brown, but Sheffield United said they would resist any attempts to sign the players.

Jagielka stated in April 2005 he was happy to stay at United, despite several Premier League clubs being interested in signing him.

United manager Neil Warnock told West Ham United in June 2005 that Jagielka would not be sold, and in July Wigan Athletic made a £4 million bid for Jagielka, after which United upped their valuation of him.

By November, Jagielka had been linked with a £4 million move to Bolton Wanderers, but United manager Neil Warnock said there had been no contact from Bolton.

He helped them achieve top-flight status for the 2006–07 season.

Jagielka signed a new three-year deal with United in August 2006.

He played as team captain in Chris Morgan's absence.

In a home match against Arsenal on 30 December 2006, due to a thigh injury to starting goalkeeper Paddy Kenny and with his team 1–0 up, Jagielka was forced to play in goal for the remainder of the match.

Arsenal were kept at bay for the remaining 34 minutes and Jagielka's late save from Robin van Persie secured the 1–0 victory.

Warnock wrote in The Independent that "He's a very competent keeper, but he's the sort of bloke who'd be world class at tiddlywinks", and that he preferred to put Jagielka in goal rather than use a substitution that could be used for an attacking change instead.

By the end of the 2006–07 season, he had made 133 consecutive league appearances for United, including every league match in the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons and every minute of the 2006–07 season.

When Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2006–07 season, Jagielka was linked with moves away from United and goalkeeper Paddy Kenny said he believed it was time Jagielka moved on.

New United boss Bryan Robson urged Jagielka to wait for the outcome of the club's relegation arbitration hearing before deciding to leave the club.

When Sheffield United were relegated, Jagielka joined Everton for a £4 million fee in 2007.

Jagielka eventually signed for Everton on 4 July 2007, in a deal worth £4 million on a five-year contract, the highest amount paid for a Sheffield United player at the time.

He made his home debut at Goodison Park on 31 July 2007 as a second-half substitute in a pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen, replacing Joseph Yobo in central defence.

After a slow start to his Everton career, Jagielka developed into an important member of the first team.

He scored his first Everton goal in the UEFA Cup against AZ.

He scored an own goal against Wigan Athletic, although Everton won 2–1.

He put in a succession of man of the match performances in the following matches, against Tottenham Hotspur, Brann and Manchester City.

Debuting in 2008, he received 40 England caps during his international career and was included in the England squads at UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Jagielka was born in Sale, Greater Manchester, and attended Knutsford Academy.

He played for Holy Family Football Club, a Sunday team affiliated with, although not directly linked to, the school of the same name, from the ages of eight to 11.

He played as a right winger, as he possessed great pace, and played in matches against boys of the school year older than him.

He first impressed youth scouts whilst playing for his local team Hale Barns United in Altrincham.

He predominantly played midfield during his time with the club and also played for his school team, Moorlands Junior School.

He scored his first league goal for Everton against Reading on 9 February 2008.

Jagielka started the 2008–09 season as first-choice centre-back, playing every minute of every league match until being injured in a 2–1 home defeat to Manchester City.

He later captained the club from 2013 to 2019, and totalled 385 games.

He left Everton in 2019 after 12 years and returned to former club Sheffield United.

He had brief stints at Championship clubs Derby County and Stoke City before retiring in 2023 at the age of 41.