An Everton player was yelled at by a fan who wasn’t wearing a shirt, so he quit. His boss then made fun of him.

A rumor spread that Everton had signed the “new Patrick Vieira” in 2000. It goes without saying that Alex Nyarko’s time at Goodison Park was nothing like that of Arsenal’s midfield giant. In fact, he was there during one of the most famous moments in Tottenham’s Premier League history.

But when the Ghanaian got to Merseyside, everyone was very excited. Everton did not spend a lot of money, and £4.5 million was a lot of money to pay for a player who was thought to have a lot of promise. A rumored £30,000-a-week salary showed that the club believed in the player.

He was also linked to Arsenal and Liverpool, and Blues player Olivier Dacourt was said to have told manager Walter Smith about him.

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In Nyarko’s first season with Everton, the team was having a rough time, but there were some signs of ability. His only goal for the club was a huge rocket at Tottenham Hotspur, but worries began to show around the middle of the season. The man also talked freely about how hard it is to play in the Premier League.

“The games are too physical, particularly when you are a midfielder,” he noted. “There is no time to think of new ideas because the ball is moving from one goal to the next so quickly.” The coaches want you to get the ball to the strikers quickly, which is likely why there are so many goals. But that’s English football.

By the end of the season, Everton was back where they belonged: near the bottom of the Premier League. It was easy to see why they were feeling down when they played Arsenal in April. From a blues point of view, the 4-1 loss was forgettable, but what happened with Nyarko that day is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Later, when Sylvain Wiltord scored Arsenal’s third goal, a fan walked onto the field at Highbury and approached Nyarko, offering to switch his shirt for the midfielder’s. His actions seemed to imply that he could do a better job.

Prior to the cops approaching Nyarko, Tony Adams stepped in to keep the fan away from him. On the sidelines after the fight, Nyarko talked to the Everton coaching staff. He was finally replaced five minutes later. Unexpectedly, he quit football soon after, when he was only 27 years old.

For Everton, he said, “I’m not going to start playing for the club again.” “That’s not how I want to live my life.” Not playing football anymore. That is the end of the story.”

The Ghanaian’s behavior made Smith, the manager of Everton, very angry, and he went after him after the big loss.

The Scot said, “He didn’t show any strength.” “A lot of things come up, like commitment and mindset. “He gave up, which is not a good case to show.”

Smith seemed unconcerned when asked about his player’s choice to retire. “I’ll need time to think about that—about five seconds!”

After playing 26 times in Ligue 1 for Monaco, Nyarko moved on loan to Paris Saint-Germain in 2002–03. He played 18 more times in Ligue 1 and also played for them in the UEFA Cup.

Although Nyarko wasn’t wanted in the summer of 2003, he was finally brought back into the team when David Moyes took over and Everton was having a bad time. Consequently, he played 11 more Premier League games for Everton before his work permit ended in 2004 and he was freed.

It was Nyarko’s last game at the highest level of football. He played a few games for IK Start and Yverdon Sport before retiring.

The player had said before that he didn’t think he would play football for a long time and that he wanted to write a book about his life. As of now, that piece of writing has not been made public. It is not because there isn’t enough information about his time at Everton.