Dixie Dean

Dixie Dean is considered one of the best players in the history of the English championship. He scored more than 400 goals throughout his career.

Trophies

435

Goals

496

Games

1923/25 Tranmere Rovers (ENG) 33 games, 27 goals

(England Premier League: 30 games, 27 goals)

(England Cup: 3 games)

1925/37 Everton (ENG) 431 games, 377 goals

(England Premier League: 399 games, 349 goals)

(England Cup: 32 games, 28 goals)

1938/39 Notts County (ENG) 9 games, 3 goals

1939 Sligo Rovers (IRL) 7 games, 10 goals

With the National Team :

16 caps, 18 goals

(Friendly matches: 6 caps, 13 goals)

(British Home Championship: 10 caps, 5 goals)

1st cap: 12 February 1927 against Wales (3-3)

Last cap: 17 October 1932 against Northern Ireland (1-0)

William Ralph Dean

Born January 22, 1907 in Birkenhead (ENG)

Died March 1, 1980 in Liverpool (ENG)

English, Striker, 1m78

Nickname: Dixie

Raw talent

Dixie Dean was born on January 22, 1907 in Birkenhead, England. He began his career in 1923 at Tranmere Rovers, a club that played in the English 3rd division. In 33 games for this small club, he scored 27 goals, which allowed him to be spotted by the Everton club.

For his first season in the elite of English football, the 1925/26 season, he scored 32 goals in the championship and already established himself, at 19 years old, as one of the best players in the country. A very skillful player with both feet, he had incredible vertical jump and an excellent sense of goal.

A terrible accident

Yet his career could never have been the one he lived, in 1926, he was the victim of a motorcycle accident and narrowly escaped death. He remained in a coma for 36 hours and emerged from the accident with a fractured skull and jaw. Given his physical condition, the doctors of the time told him that he would never be able to play football again.

After numerous surgical operations, the doctors managed to restore the player's health and added a metal plate to support his jaw. But to everyone's surprise, the player who was determined, got back on his motorcycle and played football again. For his return to Everton, he played with the reserves and scored a goal with his head.

A career between exploits and injuries

But the player will simply dominate English football, especially during the 1927/28 season, he sets a record that will certainly remain forever in the history of British football. This season is individually crazy, he scores 60 goals including a hat-trick scored on the last day of the championship against Arsenal.

If we count all his goals scored during this famous 1927/28 season, he scored 102 goals, Everton wins the championship and the Charity Shield, scoring 8 hat-tricks on the season. The player's reputation explodes throughout the country and even in Europe. This period also corresponds to his adventure with the English national team, between 1927 and 1932, he plays 16 matches for 18 goals for England.

In total, he scored 377 goals in 431 games for Everton. But his career was hampered by the injuries he suffered throughout his career. He joined Notts County in 1938 when he was 31 years old. And he ended his career 1 year later.