Position: Left Midfield/ForwardNationality: Scotland
Nickname: Jimmy Mac, Faddy
James McFadden was last at Everton during the 2011/12 season. He struggled for fitness and fans have questioned his ability, however he did impress on the few substitute appearances he made. He was let go in May 2012 after his short term contract ended.
Did You Know? McFadden apparently turned down Celtic to rejoin Everton!
McFadden's first club Motherwell's financial circumstances ensured that any interest from larger clubs would not be refused, and English Premier League club Everton won the battle for McFadden's signature in 2003. Manager David Moyes paid £1.25 million to ensnare his target.
McFadden scored his debut goal for Everton during their 5–2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 2005, more than a year after joining the club. One week later he scored his second goal in a third-round FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle.
During the 2005–06 season, McFadden was in and out of the Everton team as they struggled to re-capture their form of the previous season.
On 11 March 2006 he scored with a 35-yard volley to help Everton to a 3–1 victory over Fulham. This scoring run of form continued the next week against Aston Villa, a half-volley from just outside the area helping the Toffees to a 4–1 victory. He went on to end the season with a total of seven goals.
McFadden made an indifferent start to the 2006–07 season following the arrival of record signing Andrew Johnson, managing only two goals in the first half of the campaign. On 24 January 2007, McFadden injured his fifth metatarsal during training for Everton.
After nearly three months on the sidelines, he made a scoring return to action for Everton as a second-half substitute against Charlton Athletic on 15 April 2007.
He scored a spectacular volley in injury time to secure a 2–1 win for the Toffees, a goal later voted "goal of the season" by the readers of SkySports.com.0
In October 2007 McFadden scored a critical equalising goal in Everton's triumph over Metalist Kharkiv in the UEFA Cup.
He celebrated his goal against Middlesbrough on 2 January 2008 by pointing to his black armband and then to the sky in tribute to former Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who had recently died.
On 18 January 2008, McFadden joined Birmingham City on a three-and-a-half-year deal, with an option for additional two years, for an initial fee of £5 million, potentially rising to £6m depending on appearances.
His first goal came in his fourth game for the club, a penalty kick against West Ham United at Upton Park, after he had been fouled by Lucas Neill.
In his next match, at home to Arsenal, he scored from a 20-yard free kick before adding the equalising goal from the penalty spot in the last minute of stoppage time.
His second season with Birmingham was hampered by a serious knee injury which stopped him playing as regularly as he had in his first season.
McFadden scored Birmingham's first goal of the 2009–10 Premier League season, a 92nd-minute penalty, to give the club a 1–0 home win against Portsmouth.
McFadden suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in August 2010. He returned to training in March, but suffered a setback that meant he did not play in the 2010–11 season.
Following their relegation from the Premier League, Birmingham chose not to take up a two-year option on his contract but attempted to negotiate amended terms. No agreement was reached, and McFadden left Birmingham after his contract expired on 30 June 2011.
In mid-October he was reported to be in talks with Celtic, but on 17 October, McFadden signed for Everton on a contract until the end of the 2011–12 season.
He played in a reserve team match the following day, which was his first appearance since he injured his knee 13 months earlier, and made his second debut for the first team on 5 November as an 81st-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat away to Newcastle United.
McFadden was released in the summer of 2012 after his short term contract had finished.
