Michael Ball Bio Send To Friend  

Not the singer closely associated with 'Love Changes Everything' but a left-back who once seemed to be earmarked as an England left-back of the the future, Ball began his career at Everton in 1997 at just 17 and became a regular almost instantly.

At 21, he was called into Sven Goran Eriksson's first England squad, coming on as a sub against Spain. It is likely to remain his only ever cap.

Ball moved north of the border with Rangers who he joined in a £6.5m deal in the summer of 2001. His move, a result of Everton's financial crisis, was a disappointment as he suffered a knee injury in his first season and, despite being a regular during 2003/4, the terms of his transfer stopped the cash-strapped Gers fielding him more often. He won a SPL winners' medal in 2004/5.

After failing to really impress at Ibrox he was offloaded to PSV at the end of that season where he won another championship in his first season but, after the departure of Guus Hiddink, he was soon out of the pecking order under new boss Ronald Koeman.

He joined Manchester City on trial in January 2007 and secured a six-month deal that was extended in the summer. He made his first City appearance at Portsmouth.

While Ball looked at home in a defence that kept City up, his most noteworthy moment came when he was seen to stamp on Cristiano Ronaldo in an off-the-ball incident in the Manchester Derby. Ball apologised for the incident in the face of an FA inquiry.

Ball was an important player for City in 2007/08, despite missing the first three matches as part of the Ronaldo punishment, and started half of the club's Premier League fixtures. He had struggled to get back in at first but from December onwards was a fixture in the side.