There are few at Everton who will understand what tonight’s Merseyside derby means more than Seamus Coleman.
The Republic of Ireland international has been at the club for nearly 15 years now, and is unsurprisingly their longest-serving player.
And whilst that means he has overseen an era of unparalleled mediocrity, he has not been short of offers to depart Goodison Park.
With Manchester United having sniffed around in 2014 alongside Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, his loyalty has never wavered, thus endearing him to Evertonians.
He is almost definitely an Everton fan himself, and acts as that bridge between the supporters and the players from within the dressing room.
Now, following this latest revelation, that has never been more evident.
Vitaliy Mykolenko reveals Seamus Coleman’s derby message
Speaking ahead of tonight’s all-important Merseyside derby, which could drastically alter the make-up of both ends of the Premier League table, Vitaliy Mykolenko issued his rally cry for supporters.
He expects a huge atmosphere tonight, but is well aware that the players will have to earn the support.
Fortunately, they have someone in the camp to get through to this squad just how much it means, with Coleman having seemingly been drilling home the same point to them all.
The Ukraine international relayed this message, telling Everton’s official website: ‘Of course, it’s harder for me to talk about the history compared to the local guys because I am an international player, but I know exactly what this derby is.
‘This means a lot for our fans, for our team, and people around the Club… only a couple of days ago, Seamus [Coleman] was making sure everyone knew what this meant to the fans. I’m sure it’ll be an electric atmosphere and we will be ready.’
Seamus Coleman continues to cement his Everton legacy
Whether he is playing or not, it is truly astounding how Coleman just continues to reaffirm a cult-hero notion that is already widely accepted on Merseyside.
After all, having joined back in 2009 for a mere £60k, the amount of mileage Everton have gotten from the Irish full-back has been monumental.
One of the all-time great pound-for-pound Premier League signings, he has grown into something of a club legend, not only for his tenacious performances across the last decade at right-back, but for the measure of his character too.
This Mykolenko revelation is but one example of the innumerable times that the 35-year-old has sought to establish the values and expectations of this football club.
He is just so desperately unfortunate that he was part of such a torrid era for the Toffees, with their aversion to silverware an unfortunate and unfair stain on his legacy.
However, hopefully before he calls time on his career, this club can give him something back to start repaying him for all he has given to them.
