These days, players usually avoid representing clubs on both sides of a fierce local rivalry. In the case of the Merseyside derby, seeing players wearing blue then red (or vice versa), was fairly common in the 1900s but not since the turn of the century. In fact, the last player to directly cross the divide was Abel Xavier back in 2002.
This is not the only record Xavier holds though, as he is also the only player to have represented both Merseyside giants in a single season. Due to this, he ended up playing two Merseyside derbies at home in the same campaign – a novel way to avoid the hostile atmosphere the away side faces in this fixture. Here is the story of how this unique situation came to pass.
Xavier’s Everton Career
👤 Abel Xavier
🇵🇹 Portugal
👕 75 appearances
⚽️ Everton, Liverpool, Middlesbrough pic.twitter.com/efBz134vMj— Premier League (@premierleague) February 16, 2021
Abel Xavier moved to Goodison Park from PSV for a £1.5m fee in September 1999. Walter Smith signed him for both his physical attributes and his versatility. The Portuguese international could play in central defence, right back or even defensive midfield. He made a reasonable start to life in English football, although the pace of the game did catch him out at times.
Ban from UEFA Competitions
Although not imposing, Xavier was still doing sufficiently well to enjoy a call-up for Euro 2000 following a season in which he made 23 appearances for Everton. During the tournament though, the enigmatic defender, sporting a blonde hair-do, landed himself in real trouble. After conceding a golden-goal penalty to France in the semi-finals, a furious Xavier reportedly grabbed the officials and spat at a linesman. This complete loss of control, after what appeared to be a correct call no-less, earned him an €8,000 fine and a nine-month ban from UEFA competitions.
Everton’s Reaction
Although he was still free to play domestic football, his antics were received poorly back at Goodison Park. The aggression against the official was bad enough but speaking about the ban, Xavier lamented “This does great damage to my career, because there were clubs which were interested in me, clubs which are involved in European competitions.” Being upset about a ban because it prevented him from leaving Everton naturally did not go down too well with the Everton faithful, although the defender claimed he was misquoted. That old chestnut, eh?!
Smith responded by demoting the defender to the number 28 shirt and took him out of first-team action. It was only when an injury crisis struck and Smith had no real alternatives, that the Mozambique-born defender made his way back into the team. Xavier himself though suffered from a reoccurrence of a knee problem that campaign and only registered 12 appearances across competitions.
The Move to Liverpool
Skip forward to the 2001-02 season and he was more of a regular feature and had played the full match in five consecutive fixtures. At this point, it was time to renew the defender’s contract, as it expired in the summer, but Everton were not in a position to offer him a particularly attractive deal. Troubled finances at the time combined with Xavier’s injury record meant the Toffees could only offer a pay-as-you-play deal (although other reports indicate a £20k-a-week offer was made). With the Portuguese international unwilling to accept whatever was offered, both parties agreed he should try and leave in the January window so the club could recoup some money on him.
It took a while after this point for Everton to find a suitable buyer and although there was another team interested, Liverpool made the best offer. For Xavier, the £25k-a-week deal was far too good to turn down despite the risk of Everton-fan anger, as it meant Champions League football. And, not having to move house!
How Did Everton Supporters React?
When Nick Barmby moved from Everton to Liverpool just 18 months earlier, Everton fans were deeply unhappy, to say the least. The Everton Shareholders’ Association spokesman, said at the time, “The fans will never forgive him for this.” At the following Merseyside derby, you could even hear chants of “Die, die, Nicky, Nicky, die”. Xavier never received treatment anything close to this though. In fact, he claims not even to have received a murmuring of boos when facing the Toffees for the first time.
Xavier attributes this to the manner in which he departed Goodison. He said nothing negative about the club and managed to secure them a reasonable transfer fee at a time when they were financially struggling. Additionally, he was not making comments about pushing for a move away, it was simply because he was not offered an (acceptable) new contract.
While this no doubt helped the situation, part of the reason Xavier avoided any animosity was simply because he was not very good. Losing a star player, like Barmby, to your most-hated rival stings, but losing an injury-prone, inconsistent squad player? There was not much to get upset about. In fact, some Everton fans were happy to see him leave, deeming him not worthy of a new contract, and they suspected he would not do much to improve their rivals.
Xavier’s career after the move only reinforced the idea that Everton were best off letting him go so there was little need for hard feelings. Had the Portuguese international been a much better player, the situation may have been different but as it was, he was able to continue walking around Liverpool facing no abuse.
Liverpool Career
Abel Xavier. The streets will never forget that lid. pic.twitter.com/mrabT4n7Sc
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 7, 2020
Liverpool paid £800,000 for Xavier, meaning Everton recouped more than half of the sum they paid for him, despite him only having six months of his contract left. It seemed a decent enough bit of business for both clubs as Liverpool received a player with English football experience for just a six-figure sum, in a position they needed cover in due to Markus Babbel’s illness.
Off to a Good Start
Despite not scoring at all for Everton across his 49 appearances, Xavier needed just 16 minutes to open his account for Liverpool during his debut versus Ipswich. This made him the first Liverpool defender to grab a debut goal since Alex Lindsay in 1969. In just the following match, Everton were the visitors to Anfield and Xavier was given a spot in the starting XI. The 1-1 draw proved to be one of the more unforgettable of Merseyside derbies, including for Xavier personally, as it passed without major incident.
Liverpool Terminates Contract
The colourful defender started the first four games of the 2002-03 season but fell out of favour with boss, Gerard Houllier, who loaned him out to Galatasaray in the winter window. Galatasaray did not take up the option to sign the Portuguese. After an underwhelming stint and with no other suitors willing to purchase the unwanted defender, Liverpool agreed to terminate his contract.
By the time the two mutually opted to part ways, Xavier had made just 21 appearances for the Reds, making him a poor signing even given the low fee. Nonetheless, the place in the record books is his, and he remains the only player ever to play both for and against Everton and Liverpool in the same season.