In 1926, Everton hitman William Ralph Dixie Dean was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with a fractured skull and jaw. Doctors told him he would never play professional football again but, just two years later, he smashed the British goalscoring record with 60 strikes during the 1927-28 season - surely that will never be topped. The Toffees all-time leading goalscorer is also, without doubt, one of the hardest players ever to don the royal blue jersey. This is a man who once lost a testicle in a challenge. How long do you think the likes of Diego Costa or Daniel Sturridge would last in an era where those kinds of injuries occur? Not only was Dean as solid as that statute that was erected outside Goodison Park in his honour, he was famously never booked or sent off during his career. They dont make them like that anymore.
