A series of first-hand accounts describing moments that made us fall in love with Everton, 'My Everton' is a weekly offering here on evertonfc.com, bringing you the most-treasured memories of fans, players, and staff both past and present.



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I think about it almost every day. 

My time at Everton was really amazing, one of the most beautiful periods of my life. Liverpool is a beautiful city and Everton is a club that means a lot to me.

I was there for almost five years but it went by in the blink of an eye.

The Club was amazing in every single aspect - the people around it, the players I played with, everything… And the support? The support of Everton is huge. They can give you power, even when you feel at your lowest.

Every time they sung the ‘Oviedo, Baby!’ song for me it gave me a special feeling. All I wanted to do was provide good moments and good performances for them - the love they gave to me was mutual. It will always be there for me.

When I travel around the world, I always seem to bump into an Evertonian wherever I am! I love this. 

I have so many good memories - and only good ones - but I think the goal against Manchester United is the best goal of my career, and probably the best moment of my career because it meant so much to the Evertonians at the time. Even now, it’s the one people speak to me and message me about.

It was a very exciting period for me because, before that, I hadn’t played so much. Leighton Baines got injured in the Merseyside derby and that presented me with a chance to play against Stoke City at Goodison.

There were a lot of feelings - I was so excited, but I was also quite nervous because it would be my first appearance for Everton as a left-back. 

You visualise how things are going to play out and you just want everything to go well.

Then, I scored in that game against Stoke and it was a huge moment for me. We also won the match 4-0. Everything felt like it came easier after that because I was full of confidence.

A few days later, that’s when we played Manchester United at Old Trafford.

When the chance came to score, to be honest, it was strange for me as a left-back to be in that position. I probably shouldn’t have been there - but I remember Kevin Mirallas was playing in front of me and he kept telling me, ‘Come on, Bryan, keep pushing up!’… because we wanted to win. 

Thankfully, I was in the right place when I needed to be.

I can still see Lukaku crossing it now… the ball came straight to me. It was a tight angle but I was never going to cross from there, my only thought was, ‘You have to score’.

After that, I just remember the celebrations from the Evertonians. I actually ran to the opposite corner where they were, purely because of the adrenaline and my emotions were all over the place to think about exactly what I was doing in that moment!

At the end of the match, Sylvain Distin picked me up on his shoulders and the fans were singing and singing. They always created amazing atmospheres but, obviously, this one was extra special for me. They were still in the stadium for a good 30 minutes after the final whistle singing away.

My wife and some of my family were there that night. It is something I will never forget and it makes me happy whenever I think back to it. Sometimes before I play a game now, I like to take myself back to that moment because it immediately gives me confidence.

I have two sons. My eldest boy is really into football and he watches all sorts of clips on YouTube. Sometimes he’ll tell me he’s been watching me play for Everton, or that he’s watched that goal against Manchester United. It’s funny, it’s a nice feeling.

He is an Evertonian, like the rest of my family. We had a beautiful five years and, even though he was young, my eldest son remembers a lot about our time there. He knows a lot about Everton and the city. I enjoy that he does.

I hope I can come back one day to experience Goodison Park again. 

It’s one of my favourite-ever places.

By Bryan Oviedo, 68 appearances + 2 goals for Everton (2012-2017)