Jordan Pickford, despite frequent criticism of the Everton player, has been an integral part of England’s journey to the Euro 2024 final.
Jordan Pickford, the goalkeeper for Everton and England, has been instrumental in the Three Lions’ run to the EURO 2024 semi-final, but his work is not done.
Pickford has played every minute of this competition, and his outstanding performances have laid the groundwork for his country’s success—particularly in the quarterfinal matchup with Switzerland. Following a 1-1 tie in 120 minutes of play, Pickford used his secret weapon—his water bottle, which revealed the positions of all the opposition players—to save Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji’s penalty during the shootout. Having all five of its outfield players selected to take one penalty, England advanced to the tournament’s semi-final after successfully putting their kicks past Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
While the England team’s overall performances have occasionally been discouraging, Pickford’s unwavering dedication and regular bursts of intensity have undoubtedly served as an inspiration to the team and a talking point throughout the competition.
After the round of 16 victory over Slovakia, analysts on Dutch television appeared displeased with his antics. When a video showing Jordan grabbing the ball and lying down to kill time near the finish of the game played, pundit Wilfred Genee questioned rhetorically, “Did you see how happy he was at the end?”
Pickford has been the focal point of the English defense since he made his debut for his country in a friendly match against Germany in 2017. With six more matches, the Everton player will tie Gordon Banks’ record with 67 appearances for his country. Pickford has already made 14 saves and 15 claims in the tournament, all while maintaining a passing accuracy of 80%. He can offer his defenders the opportunity to press high and push up because to his sweeper-keeper playstyle. Pickford recently expressed his happiness during his stay in Germany with the England camp by saying, “I’m living the dream.”
And Pickford has become a fan favourite with many Toffees since joining Everton from Sunderland in the 2017 summer transfer window for £30m and has made 286 appearances for the club. Although Pickford receives an unnecessary amount of criticism, Blues fans know his true value, and he is undoubtedly one of the best and most underrated goalkeepers Everton and England have ever had.
