August 9, 2005 v Villarreal

THE beginning of Phil Neville's journey in royal blue arrived in a Champions League qualifier against the Spanish side. In many ways a day to remember but it would not be a winning debut however as Villarreal left Merseyside with a 2-1 lead.

September 29, 2005 v Dinamo Bucharest

WITH David Weir unavailable, Phil Neville wore the captain’s armband for the very first time as an Everton player. And it would be a victorious debut as skipper as Tim Cahill's goal gave the Blues a UEFA Cup first round first leg advantage over the Romanians – although it would be emphatically wiped out in the second leg.

January 21, 2007 v Wigan Athletic

WEIR left Goodison Park for Glasgow Rangers in mid-January 2007 and Neville was made permanent captain. And as with his debut as stand-in skipper, Neville got off to a winning start as two goals from Mikel Arteta sealed the three points at the JJB Stadium.

October 26, 2008 v Manchester United

EVERTON were trailing 1-0 to Manchester United and were struggling. But one act changed the complexion of the game and a career. Neville’s meaty tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo uplifted the home crowd and set about Everton’s revival. Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs were amongst those United players who reacted badly to Neville’s challenge. But they were much more disappointed when Everton equalised through Marouane Fellaini – from a Phil Neville cross.

April 19, 2009 FA Cup semi-final v Manchester United

NEVILLE scored one of the decisive penalties in the shoot-out against his old club to help book a place in the FA Cup final. It also wrecked United’s hopes of five trophies that season.

May 30, 2009 FA Cup final v Chelsea

ALTHOUGH Everton’s bid for a first piece of silverware for 14 years would be unsuccessful, leading his side in the FA Cup final will rank as a very proud moment for Neville.

February 19, 2011 FA Cup fourth round v Chelsea

WITH the sides locked at 1-1 following extra time in their fourth round replay, penalties were required. And when Ashley Cole fired over it was Neville who held his nerve to seal the win. By winning 4-3 in the shoot-out, Everton triumphed at Stamford Bridge for first time since 1994.

April 9, 2011 v Wolves

FEW had picked Ballabriggs to triumph at the Grand National that weekend and fewer still will have seen a goal from Phil Neville coming. Everton produced a sparkling first-half display at Molineux against relegation threatened Wolves with the captain's strike the crown jewel.

From Jermaine Beckford's lay-off, Neville unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner and beyond the despairing dive of Wayne Hennessey.

It was his first goal in three years.

september 21, 2011 Carling Cup third round v West Bromwich Albion

FOR a player seldom on the scoresheet, bagging Everton's goal of the season was some feat.

After Marouane Fellaini equalised in the final minute of normal time to force the game into an extra 30 minutes, Phil Neville took centre stage.

From Royston Drenthe’s pass, Neville curled the ball home from the edge of the box 13 mins into additional time and secured their passage into the fourth round.

December 26, 2012 v Wigan Athletic

BOXING DAY proved to be a landmark afternoon for Phil Neville. Selected for the game at home to Wigan Athletic, he became only the seventh player in history to reach 500 Premier League appearances. It is a list that includes such players as Ryan Giggs and Gary Speed.