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It may have gone unnoticed in the midst of Everton's Europa League progression on Thursday, but one Blue made history during the Ruzomberok tie.

Leighton Baines is now the full-back with the most appearances in club history, surpassing the great Tommy Wright at the top of the list. He has 376 and counting – some record.

Today, Baines celebrates the 10th anniversary of his arrival at Goodison Park. In a summer of change, he remains a key figure for Ronald Koeman. The £6m sent to Wigan in August 2007 will go down as one of the best pieces of business Everton have done, surely?

Here are just a few reasons why Evertonians love their No.3...

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That left foot

The obvious place to start. Everton have had a few cultured left foots down the years – Kevin Sheedy being the most obvious example – but Baines sits nicely on any list you'd care to make.

Think of the free-kicks – a last-minute cup leveller at Chelsea in 2011, the blast at Newcastle in 2013, his Sheedy-esque double at West Ham a few months later – and his reliability from the penalty spot.

Then think of the corners and those gorgeous, whipped deliveries from the left flank. He's the defender with the most assists in Premier League history, and he's still racking them up.

(Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Bain-aar

OK, forgive the rather modern, and ugly, title. It probably doesn't do such an attractive partnership justice, either.

At one point, Baines and Steven Pienaar formed one of the most effective, influential duos in the Premier League. Under David Moyes, so much of Everton's play was centred around their gifted left side.

While Pienaar would nip in from his wide station, Baines would overlap to deadly effect. The pair's understanding was fantastic – good enough, in fact, to drive even experienced defenders to distraction.

"One of the games which drove me to retirement was at Goodison Park against Baines and Pienaar,” admitted Gary Neville in 2012.

“They have a brilliant understanding, they know exactly what the other is going to do. They are fantastic together.”

At their best, they were unstoppable. How Everton would love another partnership of similar class now.

The consistency

It's not easy sustaining your levels in the Premier League across a season, never mind 10.

Baines arrived with a reputation as a steady-eddie type full-back, attack-minded but able to cope defensively.

And though he initially struggled to gain a regular starting berth – Joleon Lescott was the preferred left back for a spell – once he was in the team he was going nowhere.

He'll pass 400 Everton appearances this season, and not many of them have been below par. You need reliability when you're putting a team together, and for Everton Baines has been as reliable as they come. Twice player of the year at Goodison, always a man to depend upon.

(Image: Andy Astfalck/Getty Images)

'One of us'

The writing was already on the wall for Roberto Martinez, in truth, but it was the incident which accelerated his decline in the eyes of Evertonians.

After a game at Manchester United in 2016, Baines gave an interview to the ECHO in which he discussed the Blues' recent struggles.

“I just don’t feel as though the chemistry is quite there with the team on the pitch at the moment, and it hasn’t been for a while,” he stated.

Most fans agreed. Everton were, after all, 12th in the table at the time.

Martinez, though, raged. At his next press conference he claimed Baines had been misrepresented, and that the defender had apologised for his comments.

At Everton's next game, away at Watford, Blues fans made their own feelings clear. Team Baines, not Team Martinez.

'Baines is one of us' read the banner.

He is, and he always has been. Kirkby-born, he was forced to rebuild after the disappointment of being released by Everton as a teenager. His story is a lesson in persistence, humility and talent.

Off the field, Baines commits time and energy to supporting various charitable causes within the city. He has spoken openly and eloquently about mental health, has become a patron of Alder Hey and is a huge supporter of Everton in the Community.

Local musicians, too, can always count on his backing, as can the coffee shops of Formby and the city centre. In short, he's a credit to his city.

What Phil Kirkbride says...

That Leighton Baines remains as important and relevant to Everton today, 10 years on from when he signed, says everything about his quality as a left-back.

But there's much more than his longevity on the pitch that sets Baines apart.

First of all, the 32-year-old is a really nice bloke.

And from a professional point of view, everyone in the media would agree that Baines is not only generous with his time but also articulate, interesting and insightful.

When Leighton speaks, Everton supporters listen.

What Dave Prentice says...

It's the age-old football debate.

Who has been your club's best player in any given position?

And it's impossible to answer.

As eras change, so do footballers. All you can really be is the best of your generation.

And Leighton Baines is the best Everton left-back I've seen in my generation - a span which covers more years than I'd care to remember.

Mike Pejic was excellent, John Bailey much under-rated, Pat van Den Hauwe's medal collection speaks for itself - while for two or three seasons Andy Hinchcliffe was inspired.

Ray Wilson, Keith Newton and Mick Meagan were just names passed down in revential tones - but since 1975 I've witnessed every Everton left-back in the flesh, and none has surpassed Baines.

He is the epitome of a modern defender, athletic, pacy, blessed with machine-like fitness levels and with a left-foot which deserves to have the label 'Sheedy-esque' (although obviously not quite as good) attached to it.

(Image: GRAHAM STUART/AFP/Getty Images)

He has even been responsible for the introduction of a new word into the ever-growing lexicon of football-jargon.

Into a thesaurus that now includes ‘false nines’, ‘inverting the pyramid’ and ‘between the lines’, in 2014 we added the ‘pre-assist.’

Irked that people were pointing out that his outstanding full-back only had one assist to his name that season, the locquacious Roberto Martinez pointed out that Leighton Baines “has probably been involved in every move leading up to all our goals. Call it a pre-assist if you like”.

It is also to Baines' eternal credit that his "chemistry" studies indirectly led to the manager's downfall.

As much his own man off the pitch - guitar playing, quirkly hairstyles, unconventional holiday retreats - as he is on it, he is an Everton original.

And a top class left-back.

Long may he continue to reign.