Leighton John Baines (born 11 December 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back. He is currently the Professional Development Coach and U-18s head coach at Everton. Baines started his career with Wigan Athletic, and was part of the team that won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season and was a runner-up in the 2004–05 Championship and the 2006 League Cup Final. He joined Everton in 2007, helping them reach the 2009 FA Cup Final. He played for England at under-21 and senior levels. Baines was included in the England squads at UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He announced his retirement from football on 26 July 2020, going on to integrate into coaching. Baines currently occupies a dual role at Everton, serving as the manager of Everton U18s and as a Professional Development Coach for the Everton Academy. Early life Born in Kirkby, England, Baines was part of the Everton youth system before departing for Wigan Athletic as a teenager. Club career Wigan Athletic Baines made his debut for Wigan Athletic in 2002 and was a member of the team that won the Second Division in the 2002–03 season. He was a regular in the first team when Wigan earned promotion to the Premier League in 2004–05. That season saw Baines score his first goal for the club, a long-range shot against Ipswich Town. When he secured promotion with Wigan, he doubted he was good enough to play in the Premier League: "We won promotion to the Premier League and, straight away, I was thinking, 'Where am I going to go now?' I should have been celebrating but I spent a large part of that summer worrying about what it would be like spending the next year on the bench and in the reserves." Baines signed a new contract with Wigan in February 2005 despite being linked to a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton, and extended his contract again after impressive displays in his first season in the Premier League. Whilst at Wigan, he started in the 2006 League Cup Final defeat to Manchester United. Everton In July 2007, Baines rejected a move to Sunderland, after their bid of a reported £6 million was accepted by Wigan. In the following month he signed for Everton for an initial fee of £5 million, with another