The Toffees stalwart and Under-23s coach was awarded the accolade at the Premier League club’s awards night, the Dixies.
David Unsworth has issued an emotional response after being named as this year’s Everton Giant, putting him in the same category as a host of other Toffees legends.
Alan Ball, Dixie Dean, Joe Royle, Colin Harvey, Neville Southall and Howard Kendall are just a few of the Giant inductees, and club legend Unsworth was named in amongst them at this year’s Dixies.
The Everton Under-23s coach, who was chosen for the accolade by club chairman Bill Kenwright, made 350 Toffees appearances during his playing career and was a fixture in the heart of the team’s defence when Joe Royle’s charges won the FA Cup in 1995.
Unsworth’s 302 Premier League appearances across two spells puts him fifth on Everton’s all-time appearance list, scoring 40 goals to boot, and came back to Everton initially as assistant to then Under-21 boss Alan Stubbs in September 2013.
Indeed, he is proving just as inspirational in the dugout, having steered his side to the Premier League 2 title in 2016-17, while this season they have picked up the PL2 title as well as the Premier League Cup.
“It is an amazing honour and privilege to accept this award,” Unsworth told is quoted by the Everton website as saying. “The line of men and players who have gone before me and won this award… to be part of that group is very, very special. I am very, very honoured and, to be honest, touched by it.
“I am very proud to accept the honour and very proud to be stood here. I find it very hard to sum up what Everton means to me. I could say it means everything and that would not be enough. It has been my life since I was a 13-year-old boy. My desire has always been to be here, stay here and be successful here. And having accomplished that as a player and coach is a great privilege.”
Here is how some Everton fans reacted on Twitter to Unsworth’s heartfelt comments:
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