Vital Latics Top 50 - Leighton Baines

Vital Wigan members and posters have produced a Latics Top 50 Footballers list and there are some great players on that list and their names really do conjure up some fantastic memories. The members of Vital Latics have also created some very unique pen-pictures of their hero's, these are being published in no particular order:

Leighton Baines

When I started following Wigan Athletic in the 05/06 campaign Leighton Baines was my favourite player bar none. Not only was he, despite his young age, one our best players, for me he also epitomized what a club of Wigan's stature, punching above their weight, should be all about: nurturing and relying on home-grown talent.

Sadly, as we all know, there wasn't any more in the pipeline. A couple of relegation battles later, and it was clear that Baines had outgrown the team that made him a premiership player.

I remember in my youthful naivety that I thought we would get a small fortune for him and shook my head in disbelief when we sold him for a paltry 6 million pound to Everton. Everton!? He was way too good for them.

Looking back it was probably a fair deal but it sure took a lot of patience watching Salomon Olembe and Kevin Kilbane trying to fill his boots. My god I missed him.

Still, life goes on, but I can still feel proud when I see him play a blinder and think 'That guy owes everything to Wigan Athletic, and how much we owe to him!'. Leighton Baines: Wigan Legend.

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Latics and Proud



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