Tall and formidable, lethal in front of the goal, with an exceptional Owen-like attacking prowess, the Irish seagull Evan Ferguson has taken the footballing world by storm in recent months. At just nineteen years of age, he already has elite clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea in fisticuffs over his signature. There is yet to be a teenager who’s been as influential and prolific as Evan in Europe’s top five leagues this season. The way things have been lately, everything he touches, seems to turn from dust into gold.
Naturally, when a player of such a calibre emerges, the general population is curious to know more about the player, on and off the pitch. To further kindle your desire for player biographies, Goal 90 is excited to share another account of a generational talent. In the ensuing series of segments, we will be covering his footballing journey as well as some less known, intriguing off-field details.
Family
He is the youngest member of the Fergusons. He was born to Barry and Sarah Ferguson. As hinted earlier, he also has a sister called Ellie Ferguson.
Ethnicity
He is a born and bred Irishman. Some accounts highly indicate him having Gaelic ancestry.
Footballing Heritage
His father was also a professional football player who played most notably for Longford Town. However, it was during his time at Coventry City where he met his love, Sarah with whom he has 2 lovely children. Like Evan, his sister is also an up-and-coming football player. So it’s safe to say that there’s no shortage of footballing entertainment in the household of the Fergusons.
Religion
Evan is a devoted follower of Christ. He obtained his religious education from a Catholic school in Bettystown.
Marital Status
He is currently unmarried. Some sources also indicate that his parents want him to focus on honing his skills as a football player for now, which may be a reason as to why there’s no data available on his dating history.
Childhood
Evan Ferguson introduced himself to the world on the 19th of October in 2004. He was born and raised in Bettystown, a village in North Eastern Ireland. From the very get-go, his upbringing was given extra care and attention as the younger child and he was inculcated with the right set of values to approach the arduous journey of life. As a child, he knit a very close bond with his sister and father; they were the ones who introduced him to football.
His love for the game grew to the point where his parents were encouraged to enrol him into a football academy. His father, Barry being a professional football player himself was thrilled to see his young boy unravel a new adventure. He joined St. Kevin’s football academy at age 4 and while his parents would have to commute long distances to, it was worthwhile as young Evan showed great potential.
Furthermore, his dad would train him at home too, correcting any errors in his game. Many may not know this but his idol growing up was Wayne Rooney, and he used to support Man United. The young boy was so captivated by the Man United legend that he would try to recreate his goals and emulate his style of play.
Building Up Momentum
Young Evan slowly began gaining marketability owing to his height and explosiveness. On the offence side of things, he was very versatile as he could be deployed as a pivoted Centre Forward or be thrown onto the wings; in both cases, he’d be the best player on the pitch. In his first conquest of footballing glory, he bagged the SFAI Juniors trophy and scored 2 goals in the final for St. Kevin’s.
He joined Bohemians’ football academy at age 14 and shortly afterwards signed a professional contract. This prompted a controversial debut against Chelsea back in 2019 when he was just 14 years of age. Bohemian FC was strongly criticized for letting Evan play against adults but this did not faze Evan as he continued to work on his game.
He ended the season by winning the League of Ireland U17 division with Bohemian FC.
A New Chapter
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool showed a surge of interest in Ireland’s rising starlet Evan as he slowly began gaining popularity in the transfer market. However, it was the Seagulls, Brighton who managed to convince him to pledge allegiance to them. He was given his first team debut immediately and registered an assist in his very first game. It didn’t take him long to get a goal as just a few games later, it came and that too against Arsenal.
The Republic of Ireland also had him under the radar and his terrific form earned him a cap for them as well, making him one of the youngest debutants for Ireland FA.
With the departures of Neal Maupay and Danny Welback, two veteran strikers, Brighton’s Head Coach, Roberto de Zerbi turned to Evan Ferguson to deliver for them and this experiment of his would pay dividends as he took the League by storm, becoming one of the most indomitable forces up front.
Lifestyle and Personality
Prefers a modest life away from opulence and luxury. It is reported that he often visits his old coaches and peers from his St. Kevin days. Here’s him watching them play on a cozy weekend:
Moreover, he trains hard and has a strict workout routine. When it comes to football, Evan has a no-nonsense approach to meeting his aims and objectives. He doesn’t drink or smoke. In recalling his first meeting with Evan, his former coach at St. Kevin’s, Karl Lambe had the following to say:
“He first told me at eight that he wanted to play in the Premier League, and he said it with conviction. From then, he’d hit every milestone with such focus like he was on this journey to get there, a map he’d drawn in his head” Reference: Sky Sports
Fun Facts about Evan Ferguson
- He wasn’t born at the time Greece won the Euros and Porto won the UCL in 2004.
- He couldn’t sign for Brighton or move abroad from Ireland by law till he was above 16 but he was able to make an exception for his case.
- He is the sixth youngest player to score a hat trick in the Premier League.
- He is the youngest Irish player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.
Read About – 10 Most Toxic Footballers Right Now
