Loads of football fans from around the country have been reacting on social media, after Everton’s Leighton Baines was nominated as one of the FA Cup’s best left-backs from the past decade.
The official FA Cup Twitter account shared that Baines, former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, ex-Chelsea man Ashley Cole and former Arsenal full-back Nacho Monreal had emerged as the top-four for their position, after asking supporters to nominate their best performers in the competition from the past ten years.
Fans now have the chance to vote for the number one left-back the FA Cup has seen in the 2010s, with polling closing on December 31.
Baines played 25 games in the FA Cup during the past decade, as the club reached two Semi-Finals and the Sixth Round twice.
The £65,000-per-week veteran also scored seven goals and penned three assists in the competition, including the extra-time equaliser at Chelsea in 2011 that sent the replay to penalties.
Monreal was the most successful left-back of the four supporters can vote for, having lifted the FA Cup three times in the 2010s, while Cole won the competition twice with Chelsea and Evra was never able to add the honour to his trophy cabinet.
Who was the best left-back in the FA Cup during the 2010s?
Baines
Monreal
Cole
Evra
Monreal played 13 FA Cup ties for Arsenal with both of his two goals in the competition being pivotal strikes, firstly the opener against Manchester United in the 2015 Sixth Round and secondly the equaliser against Manchester City in the 2017 Semi-Final.
Cole, meanwhile, played 16 FA Cup games – including one for Derby County, in which he scored his only competition goal of the decade – while assisting efforts in a 5-0 Third Round win over Watford in 2010 and a 5-1 Third Round win at Southampton in 2013.
Here are some of the messages shared, as fans of various clubs reacted to who the last four nominees of the FA Cup’s best left-back of the 2010s were…
Baines 😭
— AskJulianDicksAboutZola (@AskZola) December 30, 2019
Finally some respect on baines name. By far best left back of the decade.
— jamie byrom (@jamie_byrom) December 29, 2019
@ninjasnbiscuits baines is fantastic, told you.
— Jack Somerville (@JackSomerville6) December 30, 2019
Good idea, pick Baines over the best left back in the country EVER!
— John Hannam (@JohnHannam69) December 29, 2019
I suppose it has to be Monreal. I have no idea why Baines & Evra are even nominated as neither have ever won the FA Cup.
— El Barrio! (@BarryPaton) December 30, 2019
It’s Evra or Cole, no point of the other two being there
— yam (@yamUFC) December 29, 2019
Baines my premier league LB of the decade, Monreal my FA Cup LB of the decade
— Luke (@luke_willard3) December 29, 2019
Ashley Cole was world class, Baines not.
— alex whiteman (@alexwhiteman49) December 29, 2019
Does anyone actually read what they are voting for? How is monreal getting beefed here, he won 3 fa cups in a decade and scored possibly the 2 most important goals in 2 of those campaigns? https://t.co/zoTEqC8Kkghttps://t.co/7sOGkGVvOf
— 🤔 (@kanewilliams15) December 29, 2019
In other Everton news, a £55k-p/w man is expected to leave Goodison Park in January.